


The Coming Tides

by SlusherM_221B



Series: Oceans In Between Us [2]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Consent Issues, Dark, Eating Disorders, Even though at this point very little takes place at 'school', Extremely Dubious Consent, M/M, Mental Instability, Past Rape/Non-con, Punk Percy, Sexual Content, Tattoos, Violence, past abusive relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-01
Updated: 2017-02-12
Packaged: 2018-05-10 23:09:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 24,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5604448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SlusherM_221B/pseuds/SlusherM_221B
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nico and Percy come to an understanding about their relationship, and Nico thinks he will finally be able to work on getting better and learning to take care of himself. His father has different plans, though, and he is holding something over Nico's head that makes it impossible for him to disobey.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Tuesday, December 23rd

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, all! This is the sequel to WCUA. I'm excited to be writing in this universe again.  
> Please read the tags; there will be more added later, so I will be sure to include in the notes when it happens so that you can re-read the tags.  
> I have an awesome Beta!! Tumblr link ~ [makanura](http://makanura.tumblr.com)  
> Any mistakes are mine.  
> As always, comments are welcome. I also have a [Tumblr](http://joslushie.tumblr.com) where you are more than welcome to stop by for updates or to drop in my ask box, it's always open.

A single square was one-foot-long on each side. There were different colored horizontal lines running through it, sixty of them in total. Fifteen red lines, fifteen orange lines, fifteen green lines, and fifteen brown lines. Fifteen feet of red lines, fifteen feet of orange lines, fifteen feet of green lines, and fifteen feet of brown lines. There were one hundred squares covering the floor. One thousand and five hundred red lines, one thousand and five hundred orange lines, one thousand and five hundred green lines, and one thousand and five hundred brown lines. One thousand and five hundred feet of red lines, one thousand and five hundred feet of orange lines, one thousand and five hundred feet of green lines, and one thousand and five hundred feet of brown lines. One hundred square feet.

A single square was six inches long on each side. There was only white filling in the square, a single blot of alabaster or ivory or off white cream or shattered egg shells under porcelain feet. There were a thousand squares covering one wall. Thirty-six thousand square inches of bastard white covering the walls, clashing with the fresh blood and slow sunrises and fresh foliage and pungent dirt of the floor. One hundred square feet.    

There were four walls, a thousand horribly bland squares on each wall, four thousand cancerous chalk stamps surrounding him, leaking into the setting sun and powdered pomegranates and dirty money and decaying slush of the floor. Blended dairy squares that mush into a lactic mirror of limp darkness and beaten down light. One hundred square feet. One hundred square feet. One hundred square feet. One hundred square feet. Four hundred square feet.

There were twenty-five squares on the ceiling, two feet long on each side. One hundred square feet teetering on the edge of solid clouds, reaching and longing for ripe roses and sour citrus and turtle soup and rusted pipes. They had no color, or perhaps they were blackened with too many colors to see clearly through the muck of virtue. One hundred square feet.

A hundred squares. A thousand and one hundred squares. Four thousand and one hundred squares. Four thousand and one hundred and twenty-five squares. A hated, welcomed cage made of four thousand and one hundred and twenty-five squares, four colors or five or six or innumerable hues of geometric, shapeless forms.

Four exits. One door, shapeless, colorless, locked and open and inaccessible. One window, closed blinds, bright fingers creeping in, barred, glass-less and lined with jagged ice, inaccessible. One smile, swallowed pills, dishonesty, and fake alibis, accessible and inaccessible, play it out. One last sigh, pills in a pillowcase, honesty and genuine smiles that look like frowns, stained sheets and dripping onto putrid kaleidoscope carpet, thick and congealed and opened tunnels encased in prickled skin. Accessible.

Exit number one opened, smoothly and swaying, and a high pitched voice called out, “Mr. Di Angelo?”

Dark eyes twitched to follow the frosted, suffocating air that was swept into the room with the new push, dark energy forcefully oxygenated, coiling in repulsion and reeling back to observe the intrusion. Expanding and contracting voids trailed glinting dust particles, twirling and colliding against clotted stillness, and blinked as they opened their maws and bared their teeth to the darkness, dripping florid acid onto emulsified bone – small yawns answering the loud roar of screaming dust and clashing, fist to fist, in a battle of explosive sparks and blinding shadow.

The air was clean and only smelled stale if inhaled through prejudiced lungs, absent of dust and color and movement. The phantom flashes present in the free air violently slaughtering the tepid darkness slumbering peacefully behind the dark eyes, eyes now staring owlishly at the curved pink half circle stretching in his direction, were nothing but brief inquiries of eruptions that must be tingling the nerves of some poor creature in the otherworld or frizzing out of a generational passion or the cobwebs collecting in the cracks of the walls on this concrete cage. It is easy to imagine the muchness found in the available nothing when time is irrelevant to the equation.

A shadow fell over those eyes as an outstretched hand waved daintily in front of them. Tangled curls fell across a pale forehead as the hunched figure previously huddled under a white blanket pushed up with shaking arms to a sitting position. The hand flinched back and dark eyes followed its movement, watching the reflection play out in the pink frosted tips extended from the long appendages that were pressed into thin lips of the same color. The woman chuckled unsympathetically, a forced smile on her face.

“Mr. Di Angelo? I’m sorry, sugar, I didn’t know you were awake.” The woman smoothed down her hair and moved further into the room with a sigh, looking out between the bars to the light. “That’s good, though, because you’re seeing Dr. Thorn today.”

The boy stared after her dazedly, eyes vacant of recognition but tracking every small movement the woman made. He watched her as she pulled a round mirror out of her breast pocket and puckered her lips at her reflection. She wiped the corner of her mouth with a finger and caught the boy’s eyes in the mirror before she shoved it back down in her shirt and turned to face him.

“Well, I think you are looking so much better today, honey.” She pulled a bottle out of the deep pockets at her side and emptied two pills onto her palm, extending it to the boy that was looking down at the blanket pooling around his waist. She waited for him to look up at her and take them, but after a minute she huffed and grasped his wrist firmly, shoving them in his hand before leaving the room.

She came back in seconds later with a glass of lukewarm water threatening to slosh over her fingers. Sharp nails dug into the thin skin of the boy’s wrist as she took hold of it again and raised it to his mouth, forcing the pills through. His eyes were still trained down and he made no move to help or hinder her actions. The woman pinched his chin between her fingers and pushed the cup between his lips, the glass clinking loudly against his teeth, and tilted his head back, the glass moving with the motion and sending water cascading down the boy’s chin and throat.

He sputtered and coughed as the water forced its way into his airways before he swallowed on instinct to stop the burn, the pills flowing down with it. The woman pulled the glass back when she was satisfied with the amount of water spilled down his front. She patted his cheek soothingly as he continued to cough, still looking down at his lap.

“You know, we wouldn’t have to do this every day if you would just cooperate with me, sugar. I thought you would have learned your lesson since the last time you stayed with us. Now look at you, sopping wet. I’ll be in to change you after a while. You can’t expect Dr. Thorn to want to help you looking like you wet yourself, do you?”

The door closed after her and the room was once again filled with silence, broken only occasionally with the boy’s harsh pants until they calmed down into a steady rhythm again. He knew she would be back soon to pull his hair out in harsh tugs because she didn’t care to learn how to brush his hair correctly, that she would be back to clothe him in clean material that smells of the vanilla laundry detergent they use with the ever present scent of bleach still clinging to it.

He knew he would be strapped into a wheelchair soon because he refused to walk, being pushed to see a man with a menacing face and no compassion as he prescribed him more medicine and treatments that he didn’t need. He knew the male nurse that seemed to take a liking to him would come around noon to give him his lunch that he wouldn’t eat, and that the woman from earlier would be back again to force him to until his stomach would churn and he couldn’t help but get sick, yelling at him for giving her extra work to do.

Everything had a routine, a set pattern that followed day to day that only deviated occasionally, each time categorized in his mind to see if something like it would happen again. Perhaps the nurse with the red hair tied into the bun would forget to change his sheets, or maybe Dr. Thorn would have the TV on when he’s first wheeled into the room, or the lights could burn out again and the bald man with the large mustache would come in to change them, flirting with the woman at the reception desk on his way out.

That was all predictable, easy, comforting in its design. The real chaos was evident in the quiet moments when he was left alone and the tendrils of the darkness that lurked within him would begin to wrap itself around the corners in his mind, discoloring his vision. He could feel himself slipping further and further away, struggling to remember why this was happening to him and why he needed to leave.

Time had little meaning to him anymore, only relevant for when someone was due to make him choke down more pills or look at him with condescending eyes and touch him with unforgiving hands. There was little else to do other than watch everyone, take note of their comings and goings, calculating when he would see them and for what purpose. Soon he had everything put away into his memory: who was who, what they did and when they did it, and who he should be wary of.

Sometimes he would find himself slipping when those dark tendrils would tighten, forgetting that the boy who looked too young to work there was supposed to come by to check him over for injuries or a drastic fall in his health. Startled, he let his composure slip, grimacing in horror for forgetting something so important. He couldn’t afford weakness like that, it was unacceptable, but he still couldn’t stop it from completely happening.

The door opened again, the woman locking it into a wide open position and rolling a wheelchair through it. She regarded him with twisted lips. Her nails pinched the white fabric around her hips. They stared each other down, dark eyes blank and calculating as the woman’s brows slowly furrowed closer together. He wouldn’t move, not willingly and not for her, they both knew this, and this time was no different than the countless other times that she thought she could make Nico obey her.

She gave up quicker than she usually did, sniffing at him and hauling him up forcibly from under his armpits. A shooting pain ran up Nico’s ankle from where it collided with the side of the chair but he just bit his tongue to stay quiet. He learned his lesson a long time ago about making noise around the people here.

Placed in the chair like a rag doll, he had never felt so helpless. He hadn’t exactly weighed a healthy amount before being stuck in this hell hole, but he knew he was losing weight. He could see it in the way his wrists became smaller and weaker, how the places above his collarbones hollowed out, and how his hip bones became more prominent with each passing day. Counting his ribs was easy and he could run his fingers under his knees and feel the fragile ligaments barely holding his body together. He was losing himself.

Nico wrapped his fingers around the armrests of the chair tightly as she lead him out of the room, not bothering to close the door behind them. The edges of his lips turned down. They were very persistent about the patients being presentable when they left the privacy of their rooms, no matter if they were seeing their counselor or if they were simply being escorted to the restroom. He was never allowed to be taken anywhere without first having his hair brushed and his clothes changed. This was the first time it hadn’t happened.

She lead him down the now very familiar corridor, passing closed door after closed door, right into the next hallway, all the way to the back through a conference style room, and then the second door to the left. It was cracked open. He felt warmth on his shoulder as she leaned around him to rap her knuckles on the frame. He held his breath as her perfume wafted toward his nostrils, gagging him with a sickly sweet grip. Hair tickled the back of his neck as she pushed further against him. He tilted his head forward to try to escape her touch but she just followed after him, her cleavage pressing obnoxiously on his nape. Bile rose in his throat as he tried to swallow around his heartbeat.

She pushed the door the rest of the way open with his legs, wheeling him into the dim room. Dr. Thorn was sitting behind his desk as he always was at the beginning of their sessions, a hulking, looming figure perched on the edge of a comfortable looking chair with a tightness around his eyes that was never absent. He smiled when he noticed their appearance, his teeth sharp and resting crooked in his mouth.

He wasn’t the only one who noticed their entrance. The man sitting across from Dr. Thorn turned to face them as well. Nico could feel the walls of his throat threatening to close up as he made eye contact with dark eyes so much colder than his own, wrinkles stretching from their corners and gouging the space underneath where they sat back below thick eyebrows. The man swept his eyes over him once before turning back to speak to Dr. Thorn.

“He’s looking pathetic, as always.”

Dr. Thorn curled his lips and gestured for the woman to bring him closer. She rolled him to sit in front of the desk as he answered the other man, “Yes, well, he has been a rather difficult patient, just like he always was. He refuses to eat, refuses to clean himself, refuses to sleep unless exhaustion gets the better of him. I don’t believe I’ve heard him utter a single word since he was taken into our care again a month ago, and the only time he attempts to communicate at all is when he needs to use the restroom and he doesn’t wish to soil himself.”

Nico’s nostrils flared as the man snorted. He wanted to close his eyes but he couldn’t show weakness, not in front of him. He had to be strong. He had to show him that he couldn’t control him forever. He had to endure because he had to get out of here. He _had_ to get out of here.

A month had passed, apparently. It had felt so much longer. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been outside, or used his voice other than to scream himself out of sleep when he couldn’t force his eyes to stay open any longer. The nightmares were easier to handle than being awake, but they hurt in other ways. At least when his eyes were closed he could see tousled hair and bright eyes and an even brighter smile smirking at him invitingly, but he couldn’t stand waking only to realize he wasn’t there. He didn’t avoid sleep because of the nightmares, no, they were his only solace. He avoided sleep because waking up to the reality he was living in was infinitely worse than anything his imagination could hurl at him behind closed eyes.

“I didn’t expect any less from him. His stubbornness is just one of many bad qualities he inherited from his mother’s side of the family. I assume you are still confident in your ability to break him of these undesirable qualities?”

Nico grit his teeth as his father spoke, wanting to spit venom at him and disappear right through the floor at the same time, angry and scared and powerless. He knew why he was here, and yet he didn’t. He didn’t know how long he was going to be kept here or how much longer he could handle the constant presence of watchful eyes and pill filled hands and sharp teeth grimacing in a facsimile of a smile. He had never felt so alone as he did surrounded by these strangers.

“Of course, it shouldn’t be a problem. He’s troublesome, but manageable. We’ve already seen some improvement, haven’t we, Tammi?”

Pink tipped nails dug painfully into his collarbone as Tammi shook his shoulder. “Yes, sir, we have. When he was first put under my care, he would thrash and scratch his claws every time we even came near him with a needle or with his medicine. He forced our hand and we had to strap him down. It was for his own safety. Now, though, he doesn’t fight me at all. It’s a step in the right direction.”

“Exactly.” Dr. Thorn flashed his teeth at Nico. He tried not to puke. “By the time we’re done, he’ll be normal. You know my work, Hades, I don’t disappoint.”

“Yes, of course, but it obviously didn’t stick with him the last time.”

“Then we’ll just have to make sure this time is different.”

Nico bit down on the side of his cheek and winced as his teeth cut right through the pink flesh and clanged together loudly. Everyone’s eyes turned his way upon hearing his whimper at the impact. He could feel his mouth flooding with coppery tang, warmth spreading to fill the spaces between his teeth and pushing at the seam of his lips. His breath was coming in too fast, wheezing through his nose and labored as he tried to keep his lips mashed together.

Tammi cooed at him and pinched his chin between her thumb and forefinger. “Now, honey, what did I say about hurting yourself?” She grasped his jaw and pulled down forcefully, thick blood oozing down his chin and dripping down to his shirt, staining his teeth. Dr. Thorn simply stared at him, his father sneering at him in disgust. Tammi frowned down at him and wiped the blood now painting her fingers against the sleeve of his shirt.

His eyes were burning, begging for him to blink just once to rid himself of the prickling feeling creeping behind his lids, but he couldn’t for the fear that blood wouldn’t be the only thing slipping down his face. Clenching his throat he gulped down wave after wave of the sticky blood. It didn’t matter how many times he swiped his tongue over the gash on his cheek, the blood still spilled between his lips and collected in the hollow of his throat, pooling above his collarbones, seeping through the fabric of his shirt.

“Does he do this often?”

Dr. Thorn shook his head quickly at his father’s question. “No, of course not. Nico here hasn’t tried anything of the sort in a long time. We are very good at warding off bad behavior such as this. This is surely an accident, although an unfortunately timed one. Tammi, be a dear and clean him up a little. We have more to discuss before you can take him to get changed.”

Tammi reached across Dr. Thorn’s desk to bring a box of tissues closer. She wiped roughly over his chin and across his bottom lip until it was dry, pieces of tissue paper sticking to the ridges of his chapped lips. He could feel less blood filling his mouth now, what was left was easily swallowed. He tried to ignore how the drying blood was tickling the skin on his chin. He wanted to lick at the corners of his mouth but he couldn’t move.

“Well, let’s move on, shall we? Nico, your father and I were just discussing how you’ve been adjusting here again. Would you care to add anything? Is there anything we can do differently, perhaps a certain food you would like, something of that nature?”

Silence rung through the room.

Nico watched his father reach up to rub his chin out of the corner of his eye. “You can't expect him to have any opinions of his own. The only things rattling around in his head were put there by his meddling sister or that brat in New York.”

Dr. Thorn chuckled with him. “Speaking of the young man, has he been giving you much trouble?”

The air in his lungs felt tight in his chest. He tried to stay calm, he tried so hard, but still he could feel his eyes twitching and his nostrils flair. Slowly, as to not to draw any attention, he inclined his head slightly in his father’s direction.

Hades scoffed. “As annoyingly persistent as he is, the boy can’t possibly pose a threat to me. He isn't even a challenge.”

Dr. Thorn hummed and adjusted the pens on his desk. “So I assume that means that he is still unaware of Nico’s location?”

“He hasn't a clue, I can guarantee that. And by the time he does, my . . . son won’t even give him a second glance.”

“You're wrong.”

All eyes turned his way in various levels of shock. Tammi looked confused and Dr. Thorn was squinting at him curiously, as if contemplating what made him decide to finally break his silence, but his father looked at him like he had just received the best news.

“Oh, Niccolò. If only you knew how right I was.”

They stared at each other with unblinking eyes, Nico’s lips retreating into a snarl. He felt his anger grow back, curling heatedly in the core of his gut, the emptiness that had settled in his chest shoved aside by icy determination.

A throat cleared. Nico dropped his eyes and forced his face back into a set of indifference. “Tammi, how about you take Nico to get changed now while I finish here with Mr. Plutos?”

Nico stared down at his lap as Tammi grabbed his chair up to pull him backwards out of the door. He could feel his father’s eyes on him. Just before they were out of the door frame, Dr. Thorn called out to him.

“Oh, and, Nico? You’ll be coming back here after you change, but I’ll be finished with your father by then. I invited him down to go over your progress and paperwork, but he wanted to see you briefly. You can say goodbye now if you’d like.”

He choked down more blood, his throat convulsing around the sharp taste. His father didn’t say anything and he wasn’t planning on doing so either. After a while when he realized that neither of them were going to speak, Dr. Thorn cleared his throat. “Go ahead, Tammi.”

He met his father’s eyes before he was rolled away and down the hall. They were cold, like always, hard and unblinking, but filled with a smugness that made his stomach tighten like a spring.

He wasn’t getting out of here.


	2. Thursday, October 30th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is chapter 2! Thank you for being so patient. 
> 
> Comments are more than welcome. Also, my ask box on [Tumblr](joslushie.tumblr.com) is always open for whatever! 
> 
> All mistakes are mine, and not my absolutely wonderful Beta [Makanura's](makanura.tumblr.com)
> 
> *check for translations in the end notes*

The heavy pull of the darkness was slowly retreating. It clung to the corners and ran its spindly fingers along the shifting grooves of shapeless space, fighting against the invisible force that was draining it away. The tendrils withdrew lazily, lapping at the edges until they dissipated, leaving behind a lightness that erased any evidence that it was once there. Although the weight of the darkness was gone, there wasn’t yet any light to fill the spaces it left behind. There was still shadow stretching across his field of vision but it was no longer suffocating, no longer choking down his throat and tensing his muscles until involuntary twitching rippled up and down his legs with the need to stretch them out and run until the cloying tightness in his throat released. In its place was a subtle sweetness that smooths out his brow and allows him to unclench his muscles gradually so that every part of him feels relaxed and at peace.

His senses came back to him one by one as he became more aware. He was on the verge of sleep and wakefulness, teetering on the edge of falling back under but unable to do so. The darkness was lighter than before, brightening at the edges the longer he lay there. The air was still in the room but he could hear the sounds of the world waking up, car doors slamming and laughter filtering through the window by his head, by _their_ heads.

It was warm underneath the thick blanket that he could feel pulled up around his shoulders, but the greatest source of warmth was coming from just beside him. He was laying on his back with his head turned to the side, his cheek resting on soft skin. There was a weight around his torso and he could feel his foot nudging against the other’s leg. He parted his eyes just enough to see through his clotted lashes to gaze at the boy next to him.

Percy was resting on his back next to Nico with his arm strewn haphazardly over his stomach, palm up and fingers curled in the air. His face was pointed toward the ceiling, lips slightly parted and hair swooping sideways over his forehead, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. Nico raised his cheek from where it was settled on that tan shoulder to crane his neck and look around the room. Light was just barely peeking through the closed blinds but it was enough to illuminate the room and show that Grover had apparently kept to his word and stayed out last night.

He yawned widely and put his cheek back more firmly on Percy’s shoulder, closing his eyes and raising his chin to rub his nose on the skin, inhaling deeply and letting it out in a long sigh. While stretching his legs, he curled his toes to accidentally scratch at Percy’s calf. He paused as Percy moved his leg away instinctively, watching his lips close and a tongue dart out to lick at them. That seemed to be all there was to it at first but then the arm that was resting on his stomach was removed as Percy turned on his side to face him and replaced it with his other arm, this time grabbing at his hip and pulling him closer, eyes still closed but with a small smile as he pawed at him. Nico shook his head fondly and allowed himself to be pulled into the embrace, head tucked beneath his chin and hands fisted between their chests. Their legs tangled together as Percy rubbed the flat of his hand gently along his spine.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, just enjoying the warmth and calm of the moment. Nico nuzzled into Percy’s neck and placed a chaste kiss on his collarbone. The arms wrapped around him tightened momentarily and then Percy was leaning down to place a few kisses on the crown of Nico’s head. “G’morning.”

Nico just hummed in response and snuggled in deeper into his chest. He was so  comfortable like this, he didn’t ever want to move. He felt like he could fall back asleep at any given moment and he didn’t want to ruin that possibility by breaking the illusion of this peace just yet. The hand that was rubbing his back moved up to tangle in his hair and smooth through it, patiently unworking the tangles. He arched against him as nails gingerly scraped against his scalp and massaged at the nape of his neck. Percy fell on his back and cradled Nico to his chest in the crook of his arm, running his hands through his hair and over his back, giving him another kiss, this time at the end of his eyebrow. “Go back to sleep, doll.”

Nico grumbled in protest and shook his head stubbornly but he didn’t open his eyes or attempt to raise his head. He was already halfway there but he wanted to enjoy being this close with him for a little longer. Percy chuckled at him and placed more kisses across his forehead. As if reading his mind, he held him tighter and whispered, “I’ll still be here when you wake up again, I promise.”

Everything was fuzzy and dark again, but this time it didn’t feel so intimidating. He fell into the welcoming darkness.

 

* * *

 

Waking a second time was easier. It was brighter in the room with the blinds doing nothing to hide the fact that it was probably well into the morning by now. His eyes popped open with no trouble, revealing a wide chest with a small smatter of hair tickling his chin. They hadn’t moved much since falling asleep again, still in the same position with Nico’s arm thrown over Percy’s waist and the top of his head nudging the other’s chin. Arms were circling his shoulders and the blanket had been pushed down to their hips. He hummed and pushed his head further into the hand that was brushing the hair back from his forehead. Apparently he wasn’t the only one awake again.  

“You awake?”

Nico snorted at the question and shook his head. “No shit.”

He grinned as the chest underneath him shook silently. He closed his eyes again and contemplated going back to sleep. He wasn't tired, he felt like he had just slept for weeks on end, but he didn't feel like moving either. There wasn’t a reason in the world why he couldn’t just lay here all day, hogging Percy’s body warmth all to himself, burrowed under a mountain of blankets and hiding from reality. Percy didn’t have work and they don’t even have to justify not going to class! Of course, he couldn’t exactly kick Grover out of his room forever. But then again, a weekend of staying with his girlfriend? Nico’s doing him a great service really. 

Nico grumbled as Percy shifted underneath him. He fell off to the side with a huff and watched as Percy went over to the window and closed the blinds. He could feel his cheeks start to tickle with heat as he watched the muscles play across Percy’s shoulders. There were freckles dotting from shoulder to shoulder and falling down the back of his tanned and toned arms, some darker than others. There was a light brown, almost paint splatter shaped mark in the middle of his lower back. A birth mark perhaps?

Percy turned around to walk back to the bed before Nico could get a better look. Instead of laying back down like he was expecting, Nico watched in confusion as he leaned down in front of him to search for his jeans. He grabbed the phone from his back pocket and scrolled through it. Nico pulled the blanket a little higher over him and frowned. “What are you doing?”

“I’m going to call in. I was supposed to work tonight, but since I already didn’t go to class and you need me here, I’m going to see if someone can cover my shift or if I need to call in a sick day.” Percy sat down next to him on the bed and continued to look down at his phone, reaching out a hand to run through Nico’s bed head.

Nico glared down at the sheets. “What are you talking about? it’s a Satur–” Wait, no. It’s not a Saturday. It’s Thursday. He had class today! What time even was it? He had to see if he could at least make his afternoon classes.

He jumped up and tried to get off the bed, but his legs caught in the bedding. Percy reached out his hands to him as Nico struggled furiously to kick the sheets off so he could stand up and get dressed. “Nico! Hey, doll, calm down! It’s already after three, you might as well just take the day off.”

He paused in his fight and looked at Percy with wide eyes. A hand cupped his cheek and he unconsciously leaned into it. “Did you say it was after three?! How long did we sleep? How did I even sleep that long? I never sleep this long.”

Percy put his phone down to grasp one of Nico’s hands in both of his. “Yeah, babe. It was a rough night, we were both pretty exhausted. I didn’t want to wake you when you were sleeping so deeply. Besides, I didn’t think you’d feel up to going to class after last night?”

Oh. Last night. Right. All of that had actually happened. Nico looked down at their twined hands and let his eyelids droop. How could he have forgot that? He had been so at peace waking up and now all of that was crumbling before his eyes. He would have to leave soon, leave this campus and Hazel, his new friends. He would have to leave Percy. His eyes were stinging as he looked up into Percy’s eyes and a sob caught in his throat at the poorly hidden pain in those beautiful eyes.

“Percy…”

Nico clenched his eyes shut when Percy pulled him into a hug. Nico twisted his fingers in the sheets still covering his legs, but he let Percy wrap his arms around his shoulders. He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t want to leave, but he didn’t know what else he was supposed to do. There was nothing he could do but what his father wanted and to hope that somehow it all worked out in the end.

“Neeks, it’s going to be okay.”

“But it’s not, Percy.” Nico pried his fingers apart and brought them up to rest hesitantly on Percy’s bare shoulders. “How can you say that it’s going to be okay when I have to leave you?”

Percy placed several gentle kisses in his hair and chuckled dishearteningly. “Well, you don’t _have_ to go…”

“Perce…”

The arms tightened around him and warm breath brushed by his ear as Percy sighed. “I know, I know, but you can’t blame a guy for trying, right?” Nico shook his head against the side of Percy’s neck. “I know it seems impossible now, but we’re going to figure this out. If you do end up leaving,” Nico snorted, “then we’ll just have to work that out. I’m not quitting on you.”

Percy pulled away until he held him at arm’s length, grinning at him in that stupidly endearing way that was just asking for trouble. He couldn’t help but to smile a little back at him. Nico’s eyes traced the path of his nose and the shape of his lips and the curve of his jaw until they dropped down to follow the smooth planes of his chest and stomach. It was weird to think that they were together now and that he didn’t have to feel embarrassed about being caught looking at him in this way.

Well, he _thought_ they were together. They kiss and flirt with each other, they had even been intimate with each other once, although it had ended up being one of the worst nights of his life. They had made up for their misunderstanding or whatever the hell that drama had been, and ever since then, Percy had been spending almost every waking minute with him. They had been together in every way Nico associated with being a couple. Percy had even met his dad, regardless of that situation being completely fucked. They even told each other that they loved one another. Nico could feel the heat spreading down his neck as he remembered how he had chased after Percy last night and fell apart on him. That means they were _together_ together, right?

Percy was still smiling at him, although now it had simmered down to a warm tilt of his lips. Nico chewed at the inside of his cheek and fiddled with Percy’s fingers that were still smoothing over the back of his hand. “Not giving up, huh? Not even when I’m all the way on the other side of the country?”

He peeked up from under his lashes and blinked as Percy reached up to tuck some his hair behind his ear. “Of course not. I just got you, do you really think I would let you go that easily?”

Nico raised his head to look at Percy straight on. “So, that means we’re together, right? Actually together?”

Percy’s eyebrows shot up and his hand stilled by his ear. “Well, yes? At least that’s what I want and I thought it’s what you wanted too?”

“No! I mean yes! I mean, yes, that’s what I want, too.” Nico cringed and withdrew his hands to rub them over his face. “What I mean is, yes, I want to be with you.”

His hands were pulled away from his face and Percy leaned in until their noses were almost touching. “Well, that’s good to know, because I sort of love you.” Nico could feel his eyes go a little cross eyed as he tried to look down at Percy’s lips so close to his own.

“Sort of?” He whispered.

Percy brushed their noses together a few times and let out a low chuckle. “I love you, Nico.”

His heart felt like it was about to beat itself to death fluttering so strong in his chest, and it hurt so bad but it was so good and he was so happy he didn’t know what to do with himself. He swallowed heavily and licked the corner of his mouth, his lungs expanding pleasantly when Percy’s eyes darted down to follow the movement. “Well, that’s good, too, then. Because I’m sort of crazy about you.”

Percy met his eyes again and grinned. “Sort of?”

He rolled his eyes and moved in until the skin of their lips moved against each other. “I love you, too, Percy.”

They pressed their lips together softly, not asking for anything more than what was being given, just enjoying what they had. Their lips met in tiny butterfly kisses, bouncing off of each other with small pecks, never retreating farther than the distance they could go while still being pressed against one another. It had to have been the sweetest kiss they had shared yet, and Nico was sure there was nothing that could bother him as long as Percy was right there next to him, kissing him as lovingly as he was doing just then.

Percy pulled back with a hum and grazed his thumb under Nico’s eye. “Well, I’m glad that’s one thing we don’t have to worry about. We’ll get through this.” Percy’s phone vibrated against his leg and he broke away to pick it up. “I have to make some calls real quick to get out of work. I’m going to step into the hall real fast. Are you going to be okay?”

Nico nodded as Percy stood up and reached for his shirt on the floor. After he slipped it over his head, he cupped the back of Nico’s neck and pulled him close to place a kiss on his forehead. “I’ll be right back, okay? Maybe you should call your sister, I’m sure she’s worried about you.”

He watched as Percy slipped into the hall and the door cut off his view after one last smile. The room seemed less inviting now without him in it. It wasn’t often that he was here alone. Usually Grover would be passed out in a small pile of wrappers and empty cans in the bed on the other side of the room, but even that had been happening less and less often. Now it was normal for Percy to walk with him here after class or meet him after he was done working. Grover would stay in those nights until Percy would show up and then he would leave with a wave and say he was going to meet up with Juniper.

He was beginning to feel guilty about Grover always leaving. Even if he was with his girlfriend, this was still his room and he should be able to stay when he wanted. The one time he had talked to Percy about it he had just pulled him into a hug and told him not to worry about it, that Grover didn’t mind giving them space and he would rather stay with his girlfriend anyway. It didn’t make him feel that much better, but he was sure that Percy knew one of his oldest friend’s better than Nico did after only knowing him for a few short months.

It wasn’t like it would matter anymore after a few weeks. In a month, Grover could stay in his room all that he wanted without worrying about Nico being there. He could bring Juniper over and they could spend the night here instead. All of his stuff could switch to the other side of the room if he wanted. He could even move everything around to make it where it was just one big room. Then it will be just _his_ room, after all.

Nico collapsed onto the bed with a sigh. He rolled over to his side and swiped his phone off of his desk. He turned it off before the dinner and hadn’t bothered to take it with him. The screen lit up as he held the lock button and waited for it to boot up. When it regained signal, five messages had popped up, as well as a missed call and a voicemail. The names hadn’t yet shown up but he recognized his sister’s number straight away. The number that left the voicemail was unfamiliar, though.

He thumbed in his password and pulled up his messages first.

**From Bianca (received 6:17pm)**

_I know you probably already left, but I wanted to let you know that Will called me. He’s going to be at the dinner, too! So you’ll have a familiar face :) ti amo Nicky_

Well, shit, now he regrets not taking his phone with him. That would have been really nice to know before he had showed up there. Maybe he could have prevented the anxiety attack he almost spiraled into when he saw him. Not to mention it would have wiped one less smug smile from his father’s face that evening. There was no sense wondering about ‘what if’s' though. What’s done is done.

**From Bianca (received 6:52pm)**

_Buona fortuna fratellino! Don’t let him get to you. Remember to call me when you get back and tell me how it went_

**From Bianca (received 10:23pm)**

_It’s after 10 there isn’t it shouldn’t you be done with dinner by now?? Che diavolo vuoi? You promised you’d call Nico_

**From Bianca (received 1:14am)**

_It’s after 10 here now Nico I have to go to bed but you’re worrying me. Come va? Why haven’t you called me yet? Call as soon as you wake up, capisci? I don’t care how early it is here you need to call_

**From Bianca (received 2:11pm)**

_It is after 11 here Niccolo Di Angelo and that means it is after 2 there! I know I looked it up. Sono cosi preoccupato! Concedere a tu il beneficio del dubbio e cosa? I left you alone all morning in case you were sleeping even though you never sleep that long but if you don’t call me in the next 2 hours I’m booking the next plane out there. Te ne pentirai!_

He squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath before looking at the time. It was almost 3:30pm now, and he wouldn’t put it past her not to wait the two full hours. The voicemail would have to wait, he should probably call her before she cut someone’s head off to get to New York before the day was over. That was if she wasn’t already in the air.

He burrowed himself further under the blankets before pulling up her contact information and pressing the phone to his ear. He was nervous about talking to her for some reason. She would be so pissed and he hated to hear her upset, but she would be more pissed if he kept her in the dark over what is happening. He didn’t have long to think about it because her voice cut through even before the first ring could sound all the way through.

_“Nico! Why haven’t you called me? Dove sei stato? I was so worried, merda! You promised you were going to call me right after you got home, stupido! How could you forget? Never mind, non m’importa. How did it go? Father wasn’t too bad, was he? He promised. Are you okay?”_

“Bianca!” Nico groaned and rubbed a hand over his face. “You’re doing it again. That thing where you ramble and don’t give me time to actually answer you.”

“Yeah, I know. I’m sorry I didn’t call. We got back early, but I was so tired and upset that I just forgot. It was a rough night, we only woke up ten minutes or so ago.”

_“Oh, Nico. My poor fratellino, you needed more sleep. You need to take better care of yourself. But did you say we?”_

Nico cringed a little. He knew that Bianca and Percy had talked to each other before and he had told her quite a bit about him, mostly good, but he could tell she still wasn’t impressed over how he had handled the whole beginning of their relationship, if it could even be called a relationship at that point. She made it clear that she wouldn’t be doing any approving when she hadn’t even met him in person, but it wasn’t like she had outright disapproved of him either. He was pretty sure she even sounded amused when she was telling him about how Percy had stumbled all over himself talking with her.

That didn’t mean that he wasn’t nervous about telling her that Percy had went to the dinner with him and then had stayed the night with him, let alone that he had been spending several nights with him. Just because she would always accept and support him didn’t mean she would be okay hearing about Percy staying over. Their mother was a Catholic and she had kept them in the church for as long as she could, and then their father had still tried to enforce it despite moving around so often. Some of those values had stayed with them and he didn’t know how she would react.

He fiddled with the hem of his shirt and looked nervously to the door. “Yeah, me and Percy. He went with me to the dinner and then he took me back to my dorm. He… he, uh stayed the night with me and made sure I was okay. He’s been great, Bia.”

She was quiet for a while, not long enough for him to be worried but enough to put him on edge. _“Wow, that was brave of you, Nicky. I’m sure father just loved that.”_

He let out a relieved breath and chuckled. “Yeah, you should have seen his face. He was so put off, but he tried to turn it around and make Percy uncomfortable. Bianca, it was so awesome. Percy was so charming and smooth, he instantly won the whole table over. Father was pissed.”

Her laughter made the corner of his lips twitch up. _“That’s great, Nico. It was about time someone put him in his place, even if it was just a little bit.”_

“That’s not all, Bianca. One of the people there, Thanatos, Percy knew him! Percy’s older brother is friends with him or something.”

He pulled the blanket down so he could sit up and look around the room as she continued to laugh, _“Really? That’s priceless! So it went better than expected! That’s a relief. When you didn’t call me I was worried that it went horribly. It’s nice to hear you laugh.”_

The smile eased off his face as he clenched his jaw. He wished that he could just pretend that only the good parts happened, or at least that he could only tell Bianca about them and leave off the rest. He knew he couldn’t, though, she deserved to know. He had to tell her he was coming back.

“Not exactly, Bia. I’m… I’m coming back to California after Thanksgiving.”

_“What? What are you talking about? I’m going up there for Christmas so I can see you and Hazel, remember? You don’t have to spend break over here.”_

“No, I mean I’m transferring to UCLA after the end of this semester and then I’ll be working to get into law school.”

He felt tears start to well up in the corner of his eyes. His free hand clawed at the sheets. _“Nico, no! I thought you liked it there? You hate law, Nico, you’ve always hated it. What happened to your writing? And I thought things were going so well with Percy. Why are you doing this?”_

 _“_ I have to, Bianca _…”_

_“No you don’t, sei impazzito? Wait. Is father making you do this? You don’t have to listen to him, Nico. We’ll work it out where you can stay there without him paying for your tuition. I have some money saved up and you’re so smart! You can get scholarships and I’ll look into some loans. There’s federal aid, too! I’ll just have to–”_

“Bianca!” He yelled louder than he intended to, but he needed her to stop. She was just making it worse by being so nice. It hurt more knowing how hard she was trying to make him happy, but he couldn’t let her do that. Even if they somehow managed to pull it off, he still wouldn’t be able to go through with it. Their father… He sniffed a couple times before speaking again. “Bianca, I can’t. I have to do this.”

_“Why, Nico? Why are you doing this? You’ve been so happy for the most part, fratellino.”_

His chest felt like it was about break open. He glanced at the door once more before lowering his voice. “Nonno... ”

_“Nonno? Oh, Nico.”_

Tears were falling down his cheeks but he didn’t care enough to wipe them away. There would just be more to replace them. His voice felt like it would die completely if he talked right then, so he stayed silent instead. He wouldn’t know what to say anyway. There was no way he could refuse his father, not with their grandfather being brought into this. It doesn’t matter how happy he had been, he couldn’t let him down.

Bianca sighed into the phone. _“I understand. But, Nico, maybe you should think about this. Nonno will be fine-”_

"No, he won’t be! Don’t give me that stronzate, Bianca! You know as well as I do that that’s a lie. Non illederti! This is my responsibility now, and I can’t fail him. Mom would be ashamed.”

 _“Ma sta’ un po’ zitto! Mom would be proud of you no matter what you do. Don’t_ you _give that stronzate to_ me _! I understand why you think you have to do this, but I don’t have to agree with it. I think you should call him to let him know what’s going on.”_

Nico snorted into the phone and hit the bed in frustration. “Perché?, per cosa? He would never let me go through with it. I have to do this for him. I need you to understand that.”

Bianca scoffed at him. _“I do, I just don’t agree with it.”_

The door opened and Nico looked up to see Percy smiling at him while shoving his phone in his pocket. When he saw the drying tears on Nico’s cheeks, he rushed over to stand in front of him and brush his fingers through his hair. Nico leaned forward to rest his head on Percy’s stomach.

“Richiamp piu tardi. Percy qui. Ti voglio tanto bene. Addio.”

He hung up the phone and looked up at Percy. He was smiling down at him and rubbing his shoulders gently . “You okay?”

He didn’t know how to answer that. He wasn’t okay. There was nothing about this awful situation that was even remotely close to being okay. He didn’t want to have to deal with any of this. It wasn’t fair. But he couldn’t tell Percy this, even if he already knew that’s how he was feeling. He knew that Percy wouldn’t hesitate to take him at his word and run away with him and protect him from the rest of the world. But he couldn’t let that happen. His nonno was counting on him.

Nico just smiled as genuinely as he could, and placed his hands on Percy’s hips. “Yeah. I’m okay.”

Percy didn’t look too convinced but he didn’t say anything. He just shook his head and bent down to press a kiss to his forehead and then one to his lips. He lingered there for a moment, not trying to change it, just a steady, reassuring pressure that made his head spin and his entire body feel light. He could get used to these gentle kisses.

The door slammed open again and they pulled apart to look over to the entrance with wary expressions. Grover was standing there with one foot in the door and one out in the hall, a dorito chip hanging from his mouth and the bag clutched in his other hand. They all froze and looked at one another silently for a few moments until he let the chip fall from his mouth and threw the bag to his bed. He pumped both hands into the air with a shout. “FINALLY!”

Nico’s face filled with color but Percy just shrugged and looked down at him with a grin before walking over to Grover. “G-man!” Nico watched in curious disbelief as his boyfriend held out a hand to his roommate and they fist bumped each other and then pulled into a tight hug. They were patting one another’s backs and laughing! What was going on?

“Way to go, Perce! I knew you could do it!”

“Thank man!”

Nico huffed indignantly at the two as they continued to talk nonsense. He felt weird interrupting their moment even if it was over his and Percy’s relationship. It was nice to see Percy smiling like that. He wouldn’t get to see too much of it soon and he wanted to engrave into his brain every detail of the way his shoulders shook when he laughed.

A hand was in his hair and he looked up startled. Percy was looking down at him happily. “Grover wants to celebrate. Do you feel up to getting together with everyone and having a movie night?”

He really didn’t feel like doing anything other than curling up in bed with Percy for eternity, but then again Percy wasn’t the only one he wasn’t going to see much of soon. He would miss everyone. He finally felt like he had made friends. Who knew if he would ever see them again?

“I’d love to.”

As he watched Grover pull out his phone to start calling everyone, Percy walking around gathering some clothes for Nico to wear, he knew at that moment that he wouldn’t ever feel at home anywhere if Percy and the others weren’t there with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check me out on Tumblr! [joslushie](joslushie.tumblr.com)
> 
> translations:  
> ti amo - i love you  
> buona fortuna fratellino! - good luck little brother!  
> che diavolo vuoi? - What the hell?  
> come va? - how are you?  
> capisci? - do you understand?  
> sono cosi preoccupato! - I’m so worried  
> Concedere a tu il beneficio del dubbio e cosa? - I gave you the benefit of the  
> doubt and for what?  
> te ne pentirai! - You’ll be sorry for this!  
> dove sei stato? - where have you been?  
> merda - shit  
> stupido - stupid/you fool!  
> non mi’importa - i don’t care  
> scusi - sorry  
> sei impazzito? - have you gone mad?  
> nonno - grandfather  
> stronzate - bullshit  
> non illuderti! - don’t kid yourself!  
> Ma sta’ un po’ zitto! - shut your mouth!  
> Perché?, per cosa? - what for?  
> Richiamp piu tardi. - I’ll call back later  
> Percy qui - Percy is here  
> Ti voglio tanto bene - i love you so much  
> addio - bye


	3. Tuesday, December 23rd continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short, but important chapter! I am sorry there was no chapter in March, but today is my birthday so you can't be mad at me! Also, this means that there will be at least one more chapter in April to come. 
> 
> Trigger Warning(s): needles; injections
> 
> Come talk to me on Tumblr! [joslushie](joslushie.tumblr.com)  
> My awesome beta [makanura](makanura.tumblr.com)

“I don’t know why you’re struggling so much today. I thought you would appreciate interacting with someone other than me and the staff. Seeing your father should have put you in a better mood, but it appears I was mistaken.”

The muscles of his jaw clenched as he ground his teeth painfully. His chest was rising and falling unevenly despite his efforts to calm his panicking heart. There’s no use, though, his body wouldn’t listen to him. The more time he spent here, the less control he had over himself. He didn’t know how much longer he could take this without falling right back into where they had him before.

It didn’t make any sense, really, why he was more scared of being locked in this office three times a day than he was when he was outside of it. Those three hours out of his day were supposed to be his break from the horrible things he was forced to endure, from the time he was awoken until he was locked in his dark room for the night. At least he was left alone in the office. No one would stick him with a needle or shove pills down his throat, push him this and that way until he was where they wanted him, or hold him down until he was sure he would break.

That was exactly why he was so scared. He knew what to expect outside of his ‘therapy’ sessions with Dr. Thorn. Even if they changed it up to keep him on his toes it was always the same. The physically painful parts of his day were nothing compared to the emotional pain Dr. Thorn brought to him.

“Well, what’s done is done. Let’s move on, shall we?”

Nico watched warily as Dr. Thorn shuffled some papers on his desk and pulled a manila folder open with his name printed across the front of it. It was a thick folder that looked worn with years of use marked by frayed corners and smudged ink stains. It was a folder that he was more than familiar with from seeing the man in front of him flip it open not only in the past month that he’s been here, but from years ago when he was in the same position that he was in now.

“Let’s see here. You’ve been with us for almost a month now, but I have to say that I’m a little disappointed in your progress so far. You’ve already lost more than ten pounds. Of course, that wouldn’t be a problem if you would stop refusing to eat the food we bring you. You never used to sleep a lot, and that hasn’t seemed to change, but this is just ridiculous. Exhausting yourself to the point of fainting is not doing yourself or us any favors. However! The sleeping pills are doing a nice job of solving that. How are your dreams, Nico? Any nightmares?”

He met his eyes slowly. They stared at each other silently until Dr. Thorn sighed and looked back down at the papers.

“Not this again, Nico. I thought you were over this childish act.” Dr. Thorn glanced up at Nico from behind the papers, but Nico was staring down at his lap. “Regardless, let’s continue. Where were we? We need to get your weight back up, so unless you want to be put on an IV drip again, I suggest you start eating. We will carry on with the sleeping pills since they seem to be working.”

Nico blanched at the mention of being force fed. He closed his eyes and swallowed dryly at the memory of the first time he was put in Dr. Thorn’s care. He had lost so much weight when his father checked him in that they didn’t hesitate to strap him down and shove a needle into his skin. It was surreal not being able to eat or drink for weeks at a time. The days started to blend together and he couldn’t tell the difference between night and day. After a while, he had a hard time even remembering where he was. His mouth and throat hurt with disuse and by the time they let him eat without help he couldn’t stomach more than a few bites without becoming sick. There was no way he was going to do that again.

“Well, Nico, how does that sound?”

Nico felt his nostrils flare as he fought the desire to lash out at the man. It was a mistake to lose his resolve and speak when his father was there. It was exactly what they wanted out of him, and he played right into their hands. He can’t slip up in the same way again.

Dr. Thorn set the folder down and leaned back in his chair. Feet propped up on the corner of the desk, he regarded Nico with a slight frown. Casually, Dr. Thorn reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a cigarette carton. He lit one up while Nico watched the movements of his hands. A single stick of nicotine was extended in Nico’s direction with a questioning raise of Dr. Thorn’s eyebrows. Nico narrowed his eyes at the gesture suspiciously, but didn’t react in any other way.

A wave of thick smoke washed over Nico from across the desk and he struggled to keep from coughing. His nose scrunched up against his will, but he was quick to even out his expression again. By the way Dr. Thorn’s eyes fell to his nose with a twitch of his lips, it wasn’t fast enough.

Dr. Thorn spoke in a low voice that crept its way to Nico much like the smoke that was pouring from between his lips. “I guess this means that you’re not speaking again?”

Nico met his eyes in a steady glare.

“I was really hoping it wouldn’t come to this, Nico.” Dr. Thorn’s feet fell from the desk as he leaned over to pick up the phone on his desk. He clicked a few buttons and held the phone up to his ear. “Tammi, come in.”

Nico straightened in his chair and pursed his lips into a thin line. He could hear the door open behind him and the sound of metal clanking, but he refused to turn around. He watched out of the corner of his eye to see Tammi wheel a metal cart to his side. There was a tray on top of it with a damp cloth, a small bowl of water, a small vial of clear liquid, and a single syringe. His eyes widened when she reached down to pick up the syringe to plunge it into the vial to pull the liquid slowly into it.

Before he could do more than flinch, strong hands gripped his forearms and held him down to the chair. He jerked his head back to watch two men he didn't recognize strap his wrists tightly to the arms of the chair with leather belts. He pulled against their hold, the veins in his neck bulging as he tried to pull his hands from their confines. One of the men moved in front of him and Nico kicked his right leg out to the bigger man's chest to send him tumbling back with the force of it. As his partner picked himself off the floor, the other man elbowed Nico harshly in the stomach and fell to his knees to grasp his ankles.

Nico coughed weakly at the impact on his stomach. His hands made a move to hold onto his center, but they couldn’t move up more than half an inch before the the belts ceased his movements. His ankles were quickly strapped to the chair in the same fashion that his wrists were. Tammi sat on the edge of Dr. Thorn’s desk and gave him a cheery smile while one of the men walked around the desk to stand behind Dr. Thorn’s chair. The other man fisted one of his hands in Nico’s curls and yanked his head back until his neck was exposed.

Dr. Thorn pushed his chair back and came around to lean against the desk next to Tammi. Nico blinked at him, eyes darting back and forth between Dr. Thorn and the needle in Tammi’s hands. “Now, Nico, I’m afraid there won't be any more progress until you start communicating with us again. You don’t want to be stuck here forever, do you?”

Nico let out a small whimper when Tammi raised the needle to inspect the fluid. Glancing back at Dr. Thorn, he could tell he was expecting an answer. With his eyes trained on the needle, Nico shook his head once.

Dr. Thorn tsked at him. “I’m afraid I need you to use your words, Nico. A simple shake of your head won’t be good enough this time.”

Nico eyed the way that Tammi was tapping her nails against the syringe before meeting her gaze. He moved his eyes around the room, slowly meeting moving over everyone's faces. Tammi winked at him playfully, but the man behind the desk wasn’t even looking at him. He glanced up to the man holding his head back, but he wasn’t looking at him, either. Lastly, he settled his gaze on Dr. Thorn’s frowning maw.

“I’ll make you a deal, Nico.” Dr. Thorn turned his head to nod at the man behind his desk, and he came to stand at Nico’s side, one of his hands clawing painfully at his shoulder. The other man released his hair and grasped his other shoulder, Nico’s chin falling to his chest without the support. “If you agree to speak again, and I do mean from here on out, not just this once, then I will agree to let you have something in return. How does that sound?”

Nico kept his eyes forward even when the men at his sides tightened their grip. Dr. Thorn fell forward a bit to force him to look into his eyes. “I will allow you to call someone, Nico.”

His eyes shot up at that. Nico hated how he smiled at him like he just won something, especially since it was true in this case. He had him. Dr. Thorn reached forward to tip Nico’s chin up with his finger. “And if you continue to be good, then I don’t see a problem with allowing these phone calls to continue. So, I will repeat. How does that sound?”

He hated how weak he was. At the mere mention of talking to someone, anyone other than these cruel people, he was giving in, easy as can be. He knew it was hopeless that they would let him call Percy, but he could call for help. He could talk to Bianca and try to let her know where he was. It would be even better to call Hazel, she would tell Bia and Percy everything. He couldn’t give up that opportunity.

He squeezed his eyes close tight and nodded his head, the walls of his throat rubbing raw. “Yes, that sounds… good.”

Apparently happy with his response, Dr. Thorn smiled at him and clapped his hands together once, the sound echoing off the walls of the office. “That’s what I thought. I knew you would come around eventually.”

Dr. Thorn chuckled and moved around to sit behind his desk again. “So! What do we have lined up for you today? Ah, yes, here we are.” Nico let out a relieved sigh when Dr. Thorn picked his file up again. “Since you have finally decided to start talking again, I was thinking that we could try to fix how you speak to people. You really have become a disrespectful brat, haven’t you? That little exercise will take place after we’re done here.”

Nico expected the men to let go of him now that they had made their deal, but they held on tight. Tammi was still smiling at him, but he didn’t understand why she was still here. Nico glanced at the clock behind Dr. Thorn. He still had an hour. He still had plenty time until they would take him away again.

Dr. Thorn payed no attention to Nico’s darting eyes and continued to shuffle the papers in his hands around. “After that, we’ll see if you're up to eating now. Then, we’ll be working on breaking that nasty habit of being disobedient of yours. As always, if you do well, then you will be rewarded. If you do badly, however, I'm afraid you'll be punished. Oh! It looks like we’ll be using water today. That's going to be a nice break from all that shocking, don't you think?”

Dr. Thorn snapped the folder closed and placed it inside a drawer. “Our time is being cut short today, unfortunately. I have a meeting.”

A whimper caught in Nico’s throat when Tammi hopped off the desk and stalked toward him with the needle poised in the air. Nico’s voice cracked slightly when spoke, his head jerking away. “W-wait! I thought you weren’t going to use that. I agreed! We have an agreement!”

“Oh, Nico. I never said that. You just assumed, and I’m afraid you assumed wrong.”

His whole body tried to jump into action, head whipping from side to side, feet kicking and fingers wriggling with the motion of trying to rip his hands from the constraints. He couldn't stop the small cries from leaving his mouth anymore.

Tammi prodded at the juncture of his elbow with two fingers. She glanced up at him once with a sharp smile before sticking the needle into his skin with a small prick. He cried out when she smashed down the plunger and cool liquid was sent racing through his veins. It quickly heated up and soon it felt like his whole body was drenched in sweat, the heat spreading all the way to the tips of his toes.

The men at his sides released their hold and Tammi stepped away after giving him a pat on the cheek. The strength in his muscles gave out and Nico’s head rolled freely without the support of his neck. His vision was fading in and out and blurring at the edges, the voice of Dr. Thorn becoming muffled.

“It's okay, Nico. This part is just a little easier without you struggling. You'll wake up soon enough. In the meantime, be a good boy and think about who you want to call.”

His eyes stung with the effort of keeping them open, and then it wasn't worth it anymore. It hurt too much. He needed sleep.

 

* * *

 

“Here, hon.”

Nico quickly snatched the phone away from her hands and pressed it to his chest. He swallowed thickly and watched as Tammi backed away to sit a few feet away from where he was squeezed into the corner of the couch. She pulled out a nail file and crossed her legs elegantly at the knee.

“Um, can I have some privacy… please?”

She didn’t even look up at him when she snorted. “No can do, sugar. I stay right here, and you make it fast. Also, don’t say anything about where you are or what’s going on, blah, blah, blah. Okay?”

Nico stared down at the phone. He knew that if she found out that he had called Percy, she would end it as fast as she could. Who knew what they would do to him. He had to call Bianca, or Hazel. He doubted they knew where he was. There had to be a way that he could subtly tell them what was happening without letting Tammi know. They could be recording the phone call, of course, but that was a risk he was going to have to take.

Although, what if his father found out? If Bianca or Hazel were to know where he was and what he was going through, there was no way that they would just let it happen. They would do whatever they could to get him out of here. As much as he hated this place and as scared as he was of what they were going to keep doing to him, if his father found out that they were helping him he could hurt them. Nico couldn’t live with himself if his family got hurt because of him. That was why he was here in the first place, after all.

He couldn’t call his sisters. There was no way he could risk their safety over his own. He couldn’t call any of his new friends, either. They would tell Percy what was going on and he would tell Hazel, and then Hazel would call Bianca and it would all be over. He couldn’t see a way out of this. He would have to stay in this hell hole a little longer, but he couldn’t give up his opportunity to talk to someone from outside.

Shaky fingers pressed down on the buttons he had remembered despite years of never dialing it. He raised the phone up to his ear. He glanced at Tammi once more before turning away and curling into a tight ball on the creaking cushions.

The phone let out two short rings before someone picked up.

“Hello?"

“Uh, h-hey, Will. It’s Nico.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come talk to me on Tumblr! [joslushie](joslushie.tumblr.com)


	4. Saturday, November 1st

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not dead! Sorry for the delay, but finals were a bitch and I'm working two part time jobs this summer. Please enjoy!

“What do you want, babe?”

Nico hummed and traced a finger in random patterns on the table top as he watched the others talk and laugh around him. “Nothing. I’m fine, thank you.”

They had all decided to meet up for lunch that day at Olympia because it had been a while since they had the chance to hang out with everyone together as a group. That’s what Percy told him, anyway, but he knew it was because of what happened with his father. It wasn’t that they pitied him, but he couldn’t help but resent their sympathy. He knew that they probably just wanted to spend time with him before he had to leave, but it felt like they were saying goodbye forever. He had been in New York for only a couple of months, but it felt like he had met up with long lost friends instead of making new ones. It hurt knowing it wouldn’t last. He would have to leave soon and there was nothing he could do about it. A month seemed so short now.

Hazel was leaning against Frank, talking to Annabeth and Piper about how they did on their midterms, her foot kicking out to tap against Nico’s ankles from the other side of the table. Thalia took her break so she could eat with them and was sitting half on top of Annabeth as she jabbed at Jason’s stomach playfully. Leo was attacking Jason from the other side while Calypso let out exasperated sighs and ignored Jason’s pleas for help. Sprawled out in the chair next to Nico, Grover sat with Juniper feeding him fries from her position on his lap. They all looked so happy and at ease with each other, and even Nico was feeling relaxed to a point.

He flinched when he felt a hand come down on his shoulder. The hand was quickly dropped and he looked up to see Percy with guilt in his eyes. Nico sighed and reached out for the hand that was now hanging at Percy’s side to bring it toward him again. Percy leaned down to press a gentle kiss on his cheek, and Nico turned to brush their noses together, speaking in a quiet voice. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to do that.”

Percy squeezed his hand tightly and nodded, still whispering when he spoke. “I know. It’s okay.” Nico closed his eyes and rested his head against Percy’s shoulder. Percy was the last person he wanted to pull away from. Especially now. He didn’t mean to make Percy feel like he had to be careful about everything he said and did to him, but he also knew that Percy understood.

It pissed him off how understanding he was about all of it. Percy didn’t mind when he would shy away from his touch. He would simply give him space until he felt comfortable enough to accept it. Percy never said anything negative when Nico would wake up in the middle of the night after a nightmare, clinging onto Percy’s waist if he was there or waking him with a phone call when he wasn’t. He would simply hug him close or whisper reassuring words into the phone. He didn’t mind when he was quiet for a whole day, only talking if he was asked a direct question, barely even moving. Percy would simply sit next to him and rub his shoulders or brush his fingers through his hair, sometimes talking without expecting an answer or more often than not enjoying the quiet with him. It was annoyingly sweet and made Nico feel awful.

Percy pulled away just enough so that they could meet each other’s eyes. “I know you might not feel up to it today, but I really wish you would eat something. It doesn’t have to be a lot, doll, but please try.”

He couldn’t say no to him when he was looking at him with such pleading, honest eyes. He wanted to look into those beautiful eyes forever if only they would continue to show that much affection. Nico cleared his throat. “Okay. I could go for one of those sandwiches if you’ll help me eat half of it?”

Percy beamed at him and Nico looked down at his lap to try to hide his reddening face. Why did he have to smile at him like that? “You got it, doll. I’ll get some fruit, too. I bet you five bucks I can catch all the grapes you throw at me in my mouth without dropping more than three of them.”

Nico scoffed and pushed him in the direction of the food line. “You’re such a dork.”

Walking backwards, Percy blew him an obnoxious kiss. “You know it, baby. You still love me, though.” Nico rolled his eyes and looked back at his lap, but not before muttering a quiet “yeah, yeah,” and smooching his lips back at him. Percy was grinning at the back of his head when he noticed Hazel’s gaze on him. She gave him a small smile and mouthed a silent “thank you”. He nodded at her and sent one last look at Nico who had raised his head to listen to something Grover was saying.  

Nico straightened up in his seat as Grover stretched out an arm toward Annabeth. “Hey, remember when Percy flooded the entire camp his first summer there?”

Annabeth let out a snort. “How could I forget? Chiron had us cleaning up the mess he made for a week.”

The others at the table laughed and exchanged wide smiles. Nico felt his lips twitch at the sight of the others laughing so freely. “What did he do?”

Annabeth looked at him like she was seeing right through him, not unkindly, but with a fond amusement behind her sharp eyes. Nico didn't know what exactly to make of that look, but he didn't usually know what to make of Annabeth. He was almost jealous of the way she knew so much about Percy, but she had been a part of his life for much longer than he had.

She shared a conspiring wink with Grover. “It was around the first time I met him. There was this girl at camp. Her name was Clarisse and her and Percy hit it off immediately. And by hit it off, I mean that they hated each other.”

Grover jumped in by throwing an arm casually over his shoulder. Nico tried not to cringe. “Totally hated each other! Clarisse used to be kind of a bully, though. Perce hates bullies, man. Like, really, _really_ hates them. We went to middle school together and there was this really nasty girl who made it her mission to make his life suck majorly. He pushed her into a fountain once on a field trip, even though he still won't admit he did it. He was the class hero for it!”

Annabeth nodded her head in a solemn manner. “I met Nancy once, and let me tell you, she was a mean thing. Anyway, Clarisse had this stupid ‘initiation’ thing she did to new kids at camp, and Percy was her next victim. She and a couple of her goons dragged Percy into the bathrooms so she could flush his head in the toilet.”

“That's horrible! Why was she allowed to do that, again?” Jason’s voice took on an authoritative tone that was softened by the concerned glint in his eyes.

Leo was the one who shoved at his shoulder. “You've heard this story before, Superman! Plus, we’ve all met Clarisse. There's no stopping her when she wants to do something.”

There was a brief muttering of agreement between everyone. Annabeth met his eyes again. “So, she was going to shove his head in a toilet, but Percy was obviously wasn't about to let her win without a fight. He was only twelve, though, and even I was taller than him then. Clarisse was a couple years older than us, and she had some serious muscle for her age.”

“She was crazy strong!” Grover jostled Juniper on his lap when he shifted to look around at everyone. “She treated the whole camp as a training ground to just get more buff.”

Nico wasn't exactly liking where this was going. He raised his eyebrows questioningly at Annabeth. “So, what happened? Did she do it?”

She shook her head quickly. “She was close, though, had his head over the toilet and everything. I was there and trying to stop them, but he didn't need my help it turned out. Percy somehow burst the pipes behind it and water surged out and completely soaked all of us. By the time they turned the water off, half the camp by the cabins was flooded.”

Nico startled when a sandwich was sat down in front of him and he turned to watch Percy sit next to him. He met sparkling green eyes and watched as his mouth twitched up mischievously. “I was lucky that rusted pipe broke so easily. I couldn't let her humiliate me like that, babe!”

Nico looked between Percy and Annabeth as she stretched in her chair. “We were all dripping because you did, though! I hope it was worth making all of us work on cleaning that bathroom for a week.”

Percy winked at Nico and stuck his tongue out at her. “It totally was. You can't tell me I didn't go down in infancy because of it.”

Annabeth shook her head at him with a fond sigh. “It's infamy, seaweed brain. Although, in your case, I think infancy works, too.”

Percy let out a loud, over exaggerated gasp and slapped his hand over his chest. “That wounds me, wise girl!” He turned to pout at Nico. “You're not going to let her talk to me like that, are you, baby?”

Nico shrugged at him and smiled at Annabeth briefly. “Sorry, Perce. I'm with Annabeth on this one.” Nico choked out a laugh at the hurt expression Percy threw his way, leaning closer until he was brushing a kiss against Percy’s cheek.

He pulled away but Percy followed after him, wiggling his eyebrows in an awkward dance. “I might forgive you if you give me more kisses.”

Nico narrowed his eyes at him but pecked him gently on the lips anyway, ducking away when Percy tried to deepen it. “No, that's all you get. That pout was only worth two free kisses. I'm afraid you'll have to do more than that to get more.”

His chest felt pleasantly tight at the slow grin that spread over Percy’s face. When he spoke, his voice had dropped to a low, sensuously rough grumble. “I think I can do that for you later.”

Heat prickled his cheeks, but he bit into his lip despite feeling it creep down his neck. “I'll hold that against you.”

Percy winked teasingly. “I hope that’s not all you’ll hold against me.”

Nico flinched back slightly at the gagging sound from across the table and he looked at Hazel helplessly as she fanned herself with her hand. “I really don't want to hear my brother talking about that stuff, please. I saw enough when we went to the club.” He felt a little guilty about the memory, but she didn't actually look upset by the way she was smiling at him.

“Anyway, that’s not the only thing Percy has become a legend at camp over.” Annabeth smiled widely at Grover. “We have this tradition at camp where the cabins team up and compete against one another in a capture the flag game. There are two flags hidden around camp and each team has to find the other team’s flag first. It sounds simple, but we take it very seriously.” Everyone nodded at her solemnly and Nico looked to Percy for an explanation, but he just shrugged at him.

His eyes widened as he waited for her to continue, but he was relieved to see that her easy smile was back. “We all play, but it’s never been Grover’s thing.”

Grover grinned lazily. “What can I say, I’m a lover, not a fighter.” Juniper squeaked a little when he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and swayed back and forth. Nico’s eyes softened when he felt Percy’s arm snake around his own waist as he whispered in his ear not so quietly, “I’m more of a lover, too.”

Nico had barely stuttered out a shaky “cool it, Perce,” when Annabeth let out a short laugh. “Percy was one of the best 'fighters' at camp. We learned hand-to-hand combat, but Percy is awesome at swordplay.”

Nico blinked owlishly at Percy in astonishment. “They let you have swords as kids?”

Percy looked a little sheepish at that. “Well, not for the younger kids. We practiced with wooden swords until you turned 16, but if you had your parent’s permission, we got to use some of the metal ones if the instructor thought you could handle it.”

“And you could handle it?” Nico tilted his head back and lowered his lids at his boyfriend.

Percy noticed the change in his expression and flashed his teeth at him slyly. “You know it, baby.”

There were several gagging noises around the table this time and Nico laughed with everyone as Percy flipped them all off. Thalia nudged Annabeth and stuck her tongue out at Percy. “We know, Percy, you know how to handle a ‘sword’. Now let’s get to the good part, like that time you convinced Grover to play and you two set half of the strawberry fields on fire.”

Jason snorted and high-fived his sister. “Or that time Percy thought the rock climbing wall would be more exciting with fire to motivate you not to fall – and ended up completely toppling it over and almost burning down the Big House.”

Percy looked scandalized for a minute. “Bro, you’re supposed to be on my side.”

“Sorry, man.” Jason brought his straw up to his lips and waved him off. “You have some great ideas, but sometimes they don’t work out that great.”

Leo jumped in with a loud shout. “And by sometimes, we mean most times! You’ve set more things on fire than I have, and I’m a certifiable pyromaniac!”

The table was getting a weird looks from other people in the cafe from laughing too loudly, but they didn’t pay attention to others for too long. One of the greatest things about being in college, he was starting to appreciate, was that most people were amazingly accepting. Nico saw one kid zoom through campus on a scooter, wearing pajama pants and a cape and drinking a gallon of orange juice. Nobody had barely batted an eye at it.

Percy was shaking his head at everyone before his grin crooked in a mischievous way. “Okay, laugh it up everyone, but I’m not the only one here that’s done his fair share of embarrassing things.” He hummed and swung his hand around, pointing from person to person until he finally landed on someone with a shout of victory. “Frank!”

Frank’s jaw dropped open and Hazel patted his arm consolingly as he sputtered around his response. “W-why me? I didn’t do anything!”

Percy ignored him and brushed his hand through Nico’s hair. “Frank used to think that he could transform into different animals.”

“I was seriously sick, so that doesn’t count!”

“Still happened, though.”

Frank sighed with his whole body and leaned into Hazel’s hand that was now rubbing his shoulders. “Well, you got us trapped in that aquarium once, and that was all your fault.”

“It was not!” Percy met Nico’s confused eyes and shook his head. “Maybe another time, doll. Just know it wasn’t my fault.”

Frank coughed under his breath, “it was.” Nico patted Percy’s back and nodded at him, even though he didn’t entirely believe him.

Piper stretched across the table and stole one of the fries off Percy’s plate. “He’s got you there, Percy.”

“Oh, don’t think you’re in the clear.” They stared each other down with twitching smiles threatening to overtake their forced frowns. Piper drummed her fingers on her chin. “Is that right?”

“Yes, it is.” Percy stared her down as he addressed Nico. “Piper used to charm people into giving her cars. She drove off with a BMW once, and almost got arrested.”

Piper narrowed her eyes at him and smiled pleasantly at Nico. “It’s true. But, hey! I liked cars and it was the only way I was getting my father’s attention at the time. And it worked, thank you very much.”

Thalia punched Piper’s shoulder lightly. “Okay, McLean, enough with the sob story. Admit it, sometimes you did it just to see if you could.” Nico felt laughter bubbling up in his throat when she hunched her shoulders with a loud exclamation of, “Mission accomplished. I could!”

Nico couldn't remember the last time his sides hurt from laughing like they were now, but it felt right. He only wished that Bianca could have been there with him to share in it. She said that she's happy in California by herself, but sometimes he regrets not staying with her. Although, maybe he could convince her to move to New York so that they could all be closer. There was no way she could resist the full force of both Nico and Hazel’s puppy dog eyes.

“What about you Nico?” Piper smiled at him sweetly. “Have any rebellious teen exploits? Embarrassing stories?”

Nico blinked at all the eyes around the table watching him with interest. “Um, well, I played a sunflower in a school play once.”

Leo burst out laughing and grabbed at his chest like he was in pain. “Oh, man! You played a flower? What, were all the roles for doorknobs taken?” Nico shook his head with a small smile and leaned into Percy when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

He looked across the table to see Hazel frowning at him. Her voice was quiet when she spoke. “They only gave you such a small role because you were new to the school. If dad wouldn't have moved you guys around so much you would have had the chance to prove yourself more.”

He winced and looked down at the table. “Hazel, please…”

“No, Nico. You know it's true.” She crossed her arms over her chest angrily and shook her head, her curls bouncing with the movement. “You shouldn't have had to go to so many different schools. It never gave you the opportunity to make that many friends or get to know your teachers. You didn't even get to live in an actual house until you were a teenager!”

“The hotels weren't so bad, Haze.” Nico tried to smile at her reassuringly. “Besides, traveling was fun sometimes.”

She huffed at him derisively. “There's a difference between traveling because you want to and traveling because you were forced to, Nico. Don't defend dad. He was a right scoundrel and he still is.”

Hazel glared at Leo when he tried to muffle a laugh behind his hand. “What's so funny?”

Leo wiggled his eyebrows playfully at her. “Scoundrel? Gee willickers, what a nasty, stinking weasel he is!”

“He sure sounds like a bumbling, mange-ridden mutt!” Jason rose his hands in surrender as Hazel swiveled her glare towards him.

“He's a two-face son of a jackal, alright!” Nico dropped his head into his hands as Percy jostled him with his laughter.

“Fine!” Nico glanced at Hazel through his fingers and saw her face getting red from embarrassment, or maybe it was frustration. Her hands were moving as she stuttered around her words. “He was a...he's a right...he's a dick okay!”

Everyone fell silent as they watched the shock flood Hazel’s face at her own words. It didn't last long, because as soon as Leo broke the silence with his loud bellow, they all followed suit and soon they all had tears in their eyes again.

Nico buried his face in Percy’s collar bones and fluttered his eyes over his friends. They all looked so happy and at peace. _He_ felt happy and at peace. He was going to miss seeing them like this. He was going to miss feeling like this.

“You okay, doll? You kinda spaced out for a while.”

He didn't know what was going to happen when he had to leave, but he did know that he would be okay. He had to be. He had friends now, and goals, hopes, and dreams. He had something to live for. And he had Percy.

Nico leaned over and pecked him on the cheek. “I will be.” He's confident that no matter what happens he will get through this and that eventually they’ll be together regardless of his father’s interventions.

He won’t let Percy down. He will hold his head up high and take care of himself and continue to eat like he's supposed to. He will survive, and then they'll be together again. There isn't another option.

Nico took a bite of his sandwich half and it tasted like hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come talk to me on Tumblr!  
> [joslushie](joslushie.tumblr.com)


	5. Thursday. December 25th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm truly very sorry. The story will continue. Thank you. Enjoy.

The voice that answered the phone was disgruntled and muffled with the gruff remainder of sleep clogging its usual cheery disposition. Even so, it felt like stepping out into the sun again. “Mm, ’lo?”

His tongue curled against the roof of his mouth as his jaw locked, preventing the words from escaping his lips. Nothing made it past his grinding teeth except the quiet sound of his panting. He didn't exactly have a plan beyond taking the phone and dialing the number. What was he doing? 

He couldn't just hang up. Will already answered the phone, and hanging up on him after calling him so late could upset him. He didn't want that. He didn't think he could play it off as an accident or wrong number. The only option left was for him to just do it. Will already must think he's such an idiot, he might as well seal his fate. 

“W-Will…” He bit down on the tip of his tongue, waiting to see what the other man would do. When three seconds went by, then four, then  _ five,  _ his stomach heaved and words were shoving themselves up his throat and out into the receiver. Will had just taken a breath to respond when Nico’s voice broke through again. 

“Hi! I mean, hey. It's uh, it’s Nico…uh, Di Angelo?” He wrinkled his nose at the stilted way it rolled out of his mouth. What was he  _ doing _ ? 

There was silence on the other end once more before he heard what might have been clothes shifting on sheets and a low cough. “Nico?” Although sounding more awake now, he could hear the confused lilt of his voice.

Nico lifted his heavy eyes to glance about the room, searching for a clock he knew wasn't there. He had no way of actually knowing what time of day it was. How could he in this place? Will probably sounded frustrated because Nico had called at some ungodly hour of the morning without realizing it. He could have just as easily been taking a nap. Or maybe he had just mistaken the sleepiness for something else? Or perhaps he recognized the number and he’s pretending to have been sleeping so he wouldn’t have to talk to him. That had to be it. Once was enough, but now Nico had to be selfish and want to talk to him for a second time. 

It had only been two days since he had first called Will, scared that it was all a joke or a hallucination from having too many chemicals swimming through his veins. It had taken almost until the end of the phone call for Nico to feel like their conversation was real, that it was actually happening. Even then, he couldn't be too sure that he hadn't made it all up in some sad attempt at coping. 

It was so liberating finally talking to someone outside of the circle of hell he was paraded around day in and day out. It was too easy to latch onto Will’s voice and let it carry him away from reality. Will didn’t know what was happening or where he was – how could he when Nico was too afraid of the consequences to let it slip – so he had no reason to ask, and Will was so easygoing that he led the conversation seamlessly without giving Nico the chance to even think about telling him what was happening and ask for help. He had felt guilty for enjoying it so much after Tammi had signaled to him that it was time for him to hang up. Here he was, back in his own personal worst nightmare, and at the first chance to get himself out, he did nothing about it and instead pretended like everything was fine. He didn’t even think twice about asking for help.

He was ashamed of himself. What kind of despicable person was he to be given a hint of freedom, an opportunity to take hold of that glimmer of hope and pull himself the rest of the way through, and then turn a blind eye to it? It didn’t matter that he felt horrible about it afterwards, it didn’t change the fact that he did it. Or rather, didn’t do it. Didn’t do anything.

Tammi had taken the phone from him and took it out of the room, leaving him alone on the small, uncomfortable couch. It was the first time he was left alone outside of his room, but he didn’t have time to enjoy it. The guilt came crashing down on him so hard that it would have sent him crashing to his knees if he weren’t already sitting. It twisted in his gut in thick waves that washed bile up to his throat and made him dizzy with how fast he had started breathing. He couldn’t stop shaking, and when Tammi came back, she found him curled in on himself with tears leaking out of the corner of his eyes.

He had put up the biggest fight that night since he was first brought in, yelling and crying and lashing out, begging to be left alone, to just finish what they started and kill him already. They had been forced to hold him down and inject him with some kind of drug that made him move slower until he was sluggishly just trying to keep his eyes open. When he woke up the next day, the guilt from the previous night had turned to anger. He tore the sheet from his bed and struggled to rip it in half, kicking the mattress and beating the worthless excuse for a pillow against the metal railings of his window.

His little fit hadn’t gone unnoticed for long. Soon enough, Tammi had unlocked the door and ushered in the men that had restrained him the previous night. They roughly pushed him onto the floor from where he had been standing in the far corner of the room, punching and slamming his head into the wall repeatedly, not stopping even when his knuckles were bloody and his ears were ringing. He welcomed the pain that came with being tackled, his face smashed into the unforgiving tile of the floor and knees stinging from the impact. Still he fought until he couldn’t any more, the jacket they had manhandled him into keeping him from clawing at the others or himself. They restrained his legs to the wheelchair that they threw him in, and that’s the way he had stayed for the rest of the day. 

They eventually gave up and gagged him, too tired to deal with hearing his shrieking for any longer. He refused to eat, refused to talk, and couldn’t stop twitching in tiny jerks, whipping his head from side to side, the only movement he was able to do confined the way he was. He didn’t remember much of the day. He had spent the majority of it drugged out of his mind and the parts he did remember were filled with brief moments of coherency that soon ended with a needle being jabbed back into his arm once they realized he was still in the fighting mood. He remembered Dr. Thorn making an appearance, a disappointed frown set on his wrinkled face, and the constant feeling of muddled self-resentment was momentarily replaced with a hint of smugness at seeing the subtle anger written across the arch of his brows. It was gone soon enough when the cold prick of a needle sent a familiar heat back into his veins.

He wasn’t allowed to have a phone call that day, on Dr. Thorn’s orders, but Nico didn’t care. He didn’t deserve a phone call.

The next morning, he woke up long before he usually did, at least a good 2 hours before Tammi would come in. The anger he had felt yesterday had simmered down to an underlying irritation, and he was left feeling exhausted and empty again. He stared at the ceiling, watching as the room slowly changed colors as the sun came up, the bars casting prominent shadows on the walls the brighter it got.

He thought about how long it had been since he had been outside. He thought about Bianca’s last birthday party and the parrot Hazel had gotten her and then promptly took back to the pet store. He thought about his mother’s Zepolle and the clean, earthly smell of his grandfather’s vineyard. He thought about spring flowers, the feeling of driving his car with the windows down. He thought about Halloween night when Percy dressed as Peter Pan and declared Nico, not dressed up but in all black as usual, his shadow.

He thought about his promise. The one he wasn’t keeping.

Mostly he thought about how disappointed Percy would be in him. He was pathetic. He had lost so much weight that he was already almost back to the weight he was when he was first placed under Dr. Thorn’s care all those years ago. He barely ate and only slept when forced. There was so much he could be doing to stop this from happening, even if he couldn’t see how now. He could do  _ something _ . But here he was wasting away, resigned to his situation, barely worth considering as human.

Percy would have been so upset seeing him this way.

When Tammi walked in later, the two men trailing behind her ready for another fight, they found him sitting up on the edge of his neatly made bad, hands folded in his lap and head raised to look at them with a neutral gaze. She had been suspicious, obviously, even more so when he answered her question of ‘what the hell had gotten into him’ with a quiet reply of ‘nothing’. They regarded each other silently, but eventually Tammi gave in with a sigh and gestured to the men to continue following her in. They made no move to restrain him but he knew that they wouldn’t hesitate to do so if he made even one wrong move. He didn’t, though, just sat there quietly and took the medicine with the water she gave him willingly.

He made it through the day as quiet as he could force himself to. He didn’t fight the needles or the restraints, cried out only when the pain became too much, and he didn’t complain when he was forced through experiment after experiment that left him shivering and emptying the contents of his stomach all over his own body. Dr. Thorn berated his stupidity and threatened to isolate him if he started to act out again. Nico could tell that he was just as surprised as Tammi was when he answered him in a level voice absent of the heated venom and curses that were directed at him yesterday. He didn't let them crack his resolve, no matter how much he wanted to lash out. He wanted to keep his promise more. 

Nico had even been given his right to a phone call again. Dr. Thorn told him it was his Christmas present, but Nico thought it had more to do with him wanting to observe what he would do. It didn’t matter to him. He would take what he could to gain a bit of normalcy back in his life.

But now he was questioning whether or not it was such a great idea after all. He couldn't just keep dragging people into his problems. It wasn't fair of him. No one deserved that. 

“I’m sorry, I know it’s a holiday. You should be enjoying time with your family, or your friends, or maybe a significant other… actually, I’m sure you’d rather be spending the rest of it talking to anyone other than me.” Nico chuckled nervously and rubbed one of his eyes with the palm of his hand harshly. “Sorry. This was stupid. I’m sorry I called, I won’t do it again, I don’t know what I was thinking talking your ear off at this hour. And now I'm rambling or something. So that’s great. Sorry again, I'm just going to go–”

“Whoa! Hey, hey, hey now, Nico, calm down. I told you that you can call whenever you want. I meant what I said, okay?” Nico gulped in air at the soft yet serious tone that Will called out to him in. He spoke so gently that Nico wasn't sure if he was actually supposed to hear it. 

Will apparently took his silence as a sign to keep going, because he started talking in low whispers. “I just wasn’t expecting it and I just woke up. You’re fine, alright? Please don’t apologize.” Nico heard some more shuffling and what he thought was a door closing. At least it sounded like he wasn’t in bed.

Nico let out a long exhale and tried to process his words. He sounded genuine enough, and besides, Will had always been honest with him. There was no reason to believe he would start lying to him now, was there? 

He was too tired to argue, so he decided to put aside his worry and take Will’s word for it. He chewed on the skin of his lips and glanced over at Tammi, who was painting her nails with that atrocious hot pink of hers. “Okay, I’m sorry.” He could make out a huff of breath that Will was trying not to let him hear. His fingers twitched in his lap. “I mean, no, I’m not sorry! Ah, no, not like that, sorry…shit, I’m sorry. Not! Fuck, this is hard.” Nico cringed at his awkwardness but Will’s laugh echoed across the line with a whimsical happiness that almost had Nico’s lips twitching into a smile. It felt a little wrong after going so long without it, but he didn’t mind the feeling. He rather liked it.

“Nico, you’re fine. You really haven’t changed all that much, have you?”

He thought about how wrong Will was. He had changed. He had more friends now, genuine friends that cared about his well-being, and hope for a future. He had someone that he loved more than he thought he was capable of, and who might love him the same. There was light in his life after being so long in the darkness, there was happiness blooming in his chest and bubbling under his skin where there was only hollow space before, and there was a confidence in his step that made him feel feet taller. He might not get any of that back now, but that didn’t change how it affected him. He was changed. Although it didn’t really seem like it now. It was almost like the past few months had never happened and he had never really left the institution. Sometimes he forgot he had.

Not that he could tell Will any of that. So he just let out a strangled cough that was hopefully recognizable as a laugh and rolled his eyes at himself. “Yeah, I guess not.” Wetting his lips, Nico turned further away from Tammi and pulled his knees to his chest. “You just woke up? When did you start going to bed so early, old man?”

Will snorted at him. “I’m not old. I’m actually in New Jersey right now, and it’s a little after midnight, the same time zone as you. This is a perfectly reasonable time to be in bed, night owl.”

He flinched and bit down a little too hard on his bottom lip, the throbbing jolting him into releasing it before he drew blood. “Oh, Will, I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”

“Hey, remember what I said about apologizing?” Nico closed his eyes and tried not to shiver at the easy familiarity in Will’s voice. It had been so long since he had heard anyone sound so genuinely happy. “Really, how could you have? We’re spending Christmas with our grandparents instead of staying in California. It’s been nice, there’s actually snow on the ground.” Nico hummed noncommittally and settled further into his seat, slouching against the wall. 

“How was your Christmas, Nico? Is there snow on the ground there too?”

He didn’t know how to answer that exactly. On the one hand, he didn’t feel comfortable lying to Will, but then again there was no way that he could tell him how it actually went. Will wouldn’t want to hear what his day actually consisted of even if he could be honest with him, and Nico wouldn’t dream of telling him. He wouldn’t put that burden on someone else. He didn’t think he could even tell Percy, if he ever had the chance to see him again. He couldn’t ask Percy, or anyone else for that matter, to shoulder the weight of knowing what being in this place was doing to him, what  _ they  _ were doing to him. It would tear him apart. Nico would rather take all of the pain himself plus a thousand more lifetimes of it before exposing Percy to it. It would kill Percy knowing that Nico was slowly being killed.

“It was…” Nico tugged at his bottom lip between his thumb and index finger, “… eventful. Snow is beautiful.” Well, it wasn’t exactly a lie. It certainly was eventful, and Nico did think snow was beautiful in a cold, silent and chilled kind of way. He could have been less awkward about it, but Nico was banking on the fact that he was generally awkward when he and Will used to be around each other anyway. Maybe it wasn’t that noticeably cringe-worthy after all.

“The holidays always feel like they’re moving in such a rush, don’t they? I’ve never been able to tell whether that’s a good thing or not.” He bit into the smile spreading his lips. Of course Will wouldn't call him out on it. “Did I ever tell you about that one Christmas when my Aunt Hestia spent days making Christmas dinner and my cousins ruined it by letting in a bunch of random dogs in from the street?”

Nico hummed and closed his eyes as he let the slow honey of Will’s voice wash over him. This was the most content he had felt since saying goodbye to Percy at the airport before he flew back to California and straight into his father’s trap. He felt the guilt start to gnaw at him again, but he pushed it away with the forceful thought that Percy would want him to feel any sort of happiness that he could get. So he let out a low sigh and felt himself laugh along with Will at how rampant dogs jumped on the dining room table and ate his aunt’s hard work, shaking his head at the scolding of the lifetime his cousins got from their grandmother.

It was almost as if Will could sense that Nico didn’t want to talk, and he wouldn’t doubt it, he had always been good at reading people. He kept up the constant low rumble of story after story from his childhood and life since Nico has been absent from it, carefully leaving out any indication of his brother, but Nico could tell what he was doing. He appreciated it, but he didn’t let himself dwell on it any further, afraid of what that train of thought would lead to. Those were things that he could deal with later, but for now, all he wanted to do was sit in silence and listen to Will laugh at his own jokes.

“What’s wrong, Nico?” Will’s voice dimmed slightly at the hesitant question. He still sounded warm, but the sobering concern in it pulled Nico harshly out of his reverie. It reminded him of heated breath fanning against his neck and the sound of sweet, whispered reassurances over the buzz of disgruntled travelers. Nico’s gut twisted painfully. Unfortunately, Will could only keep the one-sided conversation for so long. He had questions for Nico. He knew it was coming, but he was hoping that he wouldn’t have to deal with it for at least a little while longer.

“Well, I can’t get the Barbie Girl theme song out of my head, so that’s pretty fucked up.” He knew his voice sounded as weak as his answer. How more pathetic could he get? It was true, though, that song had been playing over and over again in his mind for almost a week, ever since Tammi decided that he would much rather enjoy being tortured to music than silence. Her taste in music is almost as horrible as her taste in nail polish.

“That’s not what I meant. Don’t lie to me, Nico, you know you’ve never been good at it. Please tell me what’s going on.” Nico bit his tongue and turned his head to watch Tammi blow on the fresh coat covering her nails, but he quickly averted his gaze when she caught his eye. This was his chance to do something about his situation. This was the opportunity he had given up the last time. If he told Will where he was, maybe he could get him out of here or at least let the others know what was happening.

“Will, I–”, His eyes darted nervously from his nails digging crescents into his exposed knee and Tammi with her legs crossed and foot swaying to a silent beat. He was going to do it. He just had to be quiet. If the calls were recorded surely they wouldn’t listen to them until after the fact. He doubted anyone was listening as they spoke. If Will could get help, Nico could deal with whatever they threw his way to punish him because help wouldn’t be too far away. He could do this. He  _ had  _ to do this.

Tammi was watching him. She had been disinterested through the entire phone call but she was staring unblinkingly at him now. He choked on his words as they continued to stare one another down, Nico unable to look away from the cold glint in her sadistic eyes and Tammi unwilling to let him go. He felt as if he were slowly petrifying under her unwavering look. He didn’t know if she somehow knew what they were talking about or whether she just felt like intimidating him, but either way he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Not when she was watching his every move, ready to gleefully pounce the second he did something she didn’t approve of.

“I can’t tell you.” Tammi narrowed her eyes at that and stood slowly from her seat on the other side of the room. She didn’t move toward him or the door, just stood there watching him, waiting for him to make his next move. Maybe they were listening.

The frustration was clear in the tight way that Will said his name as he pleaded for him to let him help. “Whatever you need, Nico, I’ll give you it. But you have to  _ tell _ me.  _ Please _ tell me.”

His grip on the phone tightened as Tammi slowly stalked forward. “Please just trust me when I say I can’t. I’m… fine.” The word felt like sludge in his throat. It was harder to breath with every step Tammi took. “Please, Will.” His name fell off his lips as a whimper. Tammi stood towering over his body that was still curled up awkwardly into himself. She gave him a sweet smile.

“Fine. Okay, Nico, I hear you. I don’t agree with this, but there’s not much I can do if you don't tell me anything.” Will sounded frustrated, but he was still speaking in soft, gentle tones, probably trying not to scare Nico off.

He could almost cry with relief. Friendly, sweet Will, always caring for others. He would have let out the embarrassing whine that wanted to leave his mouth if it weren’t for Tammi slowly bending at the waist until she was almost nose to nose with him, her whispered words falling over his face in a wave of sickly sweet peppermint. “Time to go.”

The sludge in his throat had solidified into a lump by now but he forced his words around it. “I have to go now.” It felt like losing. It felt like he was giving up.

“Okay. Fine, that’s okay. But you have to promise to call me again?”

He wanted to be able to make that promise more than anything, but he couldn’t. He didn’t know if they would continue to let him have these phone calls after acting up the way he did. He was sure that the only reason they let him have this one was just to see how it would play out, to see if he would misbehave again so they could punish him more. But...there were so many promises he didn't know if he would be able to keep. What was one more? 

“I’ll try.” Nico didn’t get the chance to hear if Will had a reply to that because Tammi was pulling the phone from his grasp and hanging up as soon as the last word had left his lips. She slipped the phone into the pocket of her jacket and straightened back up to leave the room. He bit at the inside of his cheek at the wink she threw at him before closing the door loudly behind her.

The silence of the room was deafening in her wake, leaving plenty of space for his loud thoughts to echo between the empty walls. She would be back, but for now, he was alone.

He didn't feel so lonely for once. 

He had something to work toward and something to look forward to again. He had something that he could hold onto. Something to give him hope. His thoughts were completely consumed by Will, Percy shoved just that little bit further into the back of his mind. He pushed his growing guilt back alongside the memory of Percy’s smile against the skin of his bare shoulder.


	6. Friday, November 7th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you received a notification that Chapter 30 of Waves Carry Us Away was posted, please ignore it. It was meant to be posted her as this chapter.

He was so warm that it would have been uncomfortable if the rest of the room outside of the blanket cocoon he was wrapped up in didn’t chill the exposed skin of his face in a pleasant way. The room was dark except where the flickering light of the TV was cast on the walls, plus the light of cellphones illuminating the faces of the friends gathered tightly together in the basement of Jason’s house. 

It was a Friday night and everyone had made sure to make arrangements so they could all be free to have a movie night at the end of the week. They decided to have it at Jason’s place since his parent’s house was huge and he had turned the basement into his own little apartment of sorts when he lived there as a teenager. It was a large room, with several wooden support beams scattered throughout with strands of lights twining around them, although they were all turned off at the moment. The walls were draped with soft looking sheets or plastered with posters and print outs. He had arranged a couple loveseat couches and armchairs in a semicircle on a shaggy rug that was placed in front of a large TV and sound system. There were even a couple mini fridges and a bathroom off to the side. 

Nico was sitting between Percy’s legs, leaning against his chest on one of the loveseats, a couple heavy quilted blankets laying over them. Percy had his chin tucked on top of Nico’s head and his arms circling his waist, Nico’s own arms on top of his and interlacing their fingers. Every now and then Nico would feel the soft pressure of lips pressing down into his curls and on his forehead, moving down to his jaw and neck before a nose would nuzzle behind his ear. He would hum and stroke his fingers in slow swipes over the back of Percy’s hands and trace down those long fingers every time warm breath would fan across his cheek.

He was completely content to sit there and bask in the attention he was receiving, lazily watching the TV and his friends snuggled together in the quiet of the room. Hazel was sitting on the floor next to Frank, both of them leaned up against each other by the end of the couch where Nico’s feet were curled between Percy’s ankles. Piper was sitting in Jason’s lap in the armchair next to them, her fingers absentmindedly running through Annabeth’s hair as the other girl rested her head against their legs. Leo was sitting in Calypso’s lap in the other armchair, the girl seemingly having no issues with holding his weight as he played with her fingers and kept up a quiet narration of the film in her ear. Grover and Juniper were curled up together closer to the TV in a mountain of blankets that Nico was surprised he could even see them through. 

They were half way through the fourth Harry Potter movie, and it had to be close to two in the morning by now, if not later, but everyone was still surprisingly awake. Nico was impressed with everyone’s dedication but Percy did warn him that everyone took movie nights seriously. Percy made sure that he knew that they didn’t have to stay up the entire time, especially since they chose the Harry Potter series of all things to push through, but Nico didn’t mind. Even though the comforting warmth of their shared body heat was more than enough to send him drifting away in a haze of sleep, he found it easy to stay awake. He was enjoying the feel of those strong arms wrapped around his waist and the firm chest at his back, the quiet laughter coming from their friends that were surrounding him. 

“Do you ever think about Harry ending up with Cho instead of Ginny?”

There was a series of outraged cries and even some thrown popcorn directed at Frank, who was cowering slightly behind Hazel to avoid the buttery assault. Nico chuckled at Frank as he raised his hands in surrender and his sister cooed at him, “I’ve thought about it before.”

“You’re just saying that because you’re my girlfriend.” 

Hazel squeezed his hands and turned back to the movie. “Well, I guess we’ll never know.” 

Leo reached out to knock his hand against Frank’s shoulder. “Hey, I got you, man! Cho Chang is hot!” He fell backwards when Calypso dug her fingers into his side. He pouted at her and tried to snuggle back into her arms. “Not as hot as you, though, baby.”

“She is pretty hot,” Jason jumped in to defend his friend. Piper sat up to look down at him with a raised eyebrow before falling back in his lap. She shared a smirk with Annabeth before shrugging and kissing Jason on the cheek. “Yeah, she is.” 

Annabeth nodded in agreement and turned her smirk to Percy and Nico. “What about you, Nico? Do you think Cho Chang is hot? Perseus here used to have the biggest crush on her when it first came out.”

The arms around his waist tightened and he turned slightly to meet the bright greens looking back at him. Percy smiled crookedly. “Hey, I was a 12 year old boy, can you blame me? Besides, I have a thing for brunettes.” 

Nico rolled his eyes at the firm kiss that was placed at the edge of his jaw. “Cho’s okay. I’ve never really paid much attention to girls, but I guess you could say I have a thing for brunette’s too.” His chest tightened almost painfully as soft lips pressed gently against his own.

“Uh, Cho has black hair?” Leo yelped at the jab in his side and whimpered pitifully at his girlfriend. “What was that for, babe? That hurts you know.”

Calypso shushed him and tried to turn his attention back to the movie. Whispering, she gazed fondly at the couple on the couch. “Let them have their moment.”

Nico had always hated the feel of his own heart beat. It would beat uncomfortably against his ribs and too loud in his ears. Sometimes he would feel it echoing in his stomach or in the soles of his feet as they pressed too hard against whatever surface he was resting them on. It was hard to ignore once he would notice its presence, always beating too slow and harsh throughout his too thin body. He couldn’t press his fingers to his wrist or neck to check for his pulse like others could. He could barely look at the veins showing in the underside of his forearms without getting squeamish. 

But he loved Percy’s heartbeat. It was strong and steady when he would lay his head on his chest at night, moving up and down with every slow breath he would take. Sometimes he would place his hand over where it beat its strongest while they kissed, Percy’s hand holding his own in place. It made his own heart beat faster every time he felt the quickened pace of Percy’s, but he didn’t pay it much mind anymore. Now when he felt it drum against his chest, he’d press against Percy until they beat together, dancing with one another like their roaming hands and tangled tongues. 

It was a slow rhythm now, thudding against his shoulder blade, and he relaxed further into Percy’s embrace as everyone’s attention was turned back to the movie. He turned his head to the side to see the tv more clearly, slotting his head in the curve of Percy’s neck, the warm skin there close enough to his lips to kiss, so he did. Nico could feel the vibration on his lips as Percy hummed at the contact, so he placed another one on the same spot.

One of Percy’s hands slipped out of his grasp from under the blanket and Nico bit the inside of his cheek to stop an embarrassed smile from spreading across his face when Percy scratched at the hair behind his ears, but it was no use. He had been wearing a smile for almost the entire time they had been there, from the moment Percy had pulled him by the hips so he had to sit on top of him instead of next to him, to the moment where Nico pushed him down to lay across the length of the small couch so he could lay on top of him. He didn’t remember it leaving his face even once since then.

Nico pursed his lips against the tip of one of Percy’s fingers as they stroked his cheek and brushed over his lips. He placed a kiss at the base of Percy’s palm when the hand moved to cradle his jaw, and another one on his wrist as it moved up to tangle in his hair. He closed his eyes as he mentally tracked the soft pressure of Percy’s touch as it trailed from the jut of his jaw to the line of his neck, coming to a rest only to swipe back and forth in the hollow of his throat. Nico swallowed convulsively when nails scraped lightly against his Adam’s apple, chills breaking out against his skin whenever Percy’s warm palm would leave it.

His eyes snapped open widely as he felt the hand become more adventurous, daringly moving down his side. Nico let his hand fall limply when he felt Percy untangle his other hand from where they were locked together. His stomach unconsciously sucked into itself when the pressure of both of Percy’s hands slipped under his shirt and spread across his ribs and the soft skin below his belly button. They breathed together silently, the fingertips of Percy’s hand that was lower on his stomach brushing teasingly under the waistband of Nico’s jeans. Nico was trying to slow his heart to keep it from racing straight out of his chest.

Since their misunderstanding was cleared up and they started seriously seeing each other, they started to explore the intimate side of their relationship with one another, unhurriedly becoming comfortable with their touch on the other’s skin. The memory of that horrible night when they were first together in that way was quickly replaced by other sweeter memories, those of tender kisses and heated smiles and tingling pleasure that exploded behind Nico’s eyes and blinded him to anything else but the way that Percy would whisper his name. 

Even then Percy was careful, hesitant almost. More times than not, Nico would have to initiate anything further than heated kisses and heavy handed squeezes. It was like he was taking cues from Nico, seeing what the younger man wanted and how far he was willing to take things. Nico had become more confidant in his touches this way, not feeling embarrassed or awkward anymore when he would try to be seductive, though he still felt like he was years away from being able to look even close to sexy. As much as he enjoyed how responsive he was when Nico would come onto him, he was happy when Percy began to make his own advances on him again. They hadn’t gone as far as Nico thought they would have by now, but then again Nico was taking the lead a lot more often than he thought he was going to be. As nice as everything had been, Nico didn’t know if that was something he could ask for without being completely humiliated.

The less than innocent moments they shared together had dwindled significantly since the dinner with his father. He wasn’t lacking in affection by any means. Percy was extremely willing to shower him in all the love that he thought Nico deserved, which was more than he could have ever hoped to have. But he missed being with him in other ways. He missed his skin rubbing slickly against Percy’s. He missed how close he felt to Percy whenever he would hold him tightly after they were done, gasping for breath against each other’s open mouths, long past being able to properly kiss. 

So to say he was surprised at Percy’s bold touch after more than a week of nothing but sweet pecks and long cuddling sessions would be an understatement. That wasn’t to say he was against it, but he definitely wasn’t expecting it, especially here surrounded by all of their friends. 

Well, they  _ did _ have a blanket covering them, and it  _ was  _ dark in the room. Everyone was enamored with the movie as it was getting more serious. He supposed that it wouldn’t hurt to let Percy continue what he was doing, it’s not like he could do anything too horrible in the position they were in without drawing too much attention. Nico doubted he could bring himself to stop anyway. He missed this too much. 

Nico waited with bated breath for Percy to make his next move, but he was disappointed when he only kept up the steady stroke of his fingers through the thin dusting of hair leading away from Nico’s belly button. If he kept this up any longer, Nico might just explode with anticipation. There wasn’t a lot that he could do in this position without revealing their activities to the others, but he had to do something. The tickling sensations were  _ maddening _ .

He huffed in irritation and relaxed further into Percy’s hold, hoping that he would take the hint. The small fit only earned him a quiet chuckle in his ear. Percy had to know what he wanted, after all, Nico hadn’t hid his disappointment in the last week every time the other would pull away from his insistent lips with a placating smile. It was like they were playing a game of chase, and Nico was tired of running after him only to lose him once he caught him. It was obviously going to be up to Nico to end the charade.

Biting his lip, he stole furtive glances at each of their friends. When he was satisfied that they were all well distracted, he slowly moved his hands beneath the blanket to rest of top of Percy’s, stopping the small circular motions he was now making around his belly button, flattening them against his skin. He pushed down gently and held his breath as Percy let him move their hands downward. Of course, Percy couldn’t make it that easy on him. As soon as Nico thought he was making progress, Percy directed their hands to span over his hips.

Nico wanted to groan in frustration but it got caught in his throat when Percy’s broad palms moved further down and squeezed his inner thighs. His heart stuttered at the action, the warmth reaching him even through the fabric of his jeans. He subtly uncrossed his ankles and spread his legs a fraction wider, giving Percy more room to explore. They had barely done anything and yet Nico was already about to melt back into his chest. Teeth gently tugged on the lobe of his ear before they buried themselves behind it to nip at the skin there. Nico bit down harshly on his bottom lip to keep from whining. That bastard knew that was one of his sensitive spots. 

His head lolled to one side as Percy worked on undoing the button of his jeans, slipping one hand in once there was enough room. Nico was already half hard at the thought of Percy touching him again after so long that it didn’t take him long to stiffen fully under the steady feel of the base of Percy’s hand rubbing him rhythmically. Fingers wrapped half around him over his boxers and tightened until Nico was throwing his head back at the pressure. Percy’s free hand moved lazily up his body to rest over his exposed throat as his other slipped beneath Nico’s boxers to grasp him fully. 

Blood rushed to Nico’s face as the hand on his cock began to stroke him. He could feel Percy’s own hardness pressing against his ass. He couldn’t help but to grind down on it. His eyes were glued to the spot where he could barely make out the slow motion of Percy’s hand under the blanket. It wasn’t enough to draw attention to it, but it was enough to cause the flush to continue down his neck when Hazel turned to him laughing. Nico froze and glanced at the screen and saw Ron and McGonagall dancing, and he let out a breathy laugh to appease his sister. She turned back to the movie and Nico’s forced smile fell when Percy tightened his grip once again, this time over the head of his cock. 

Nico couldn’t stop the small mewl from escaping his lips, but he quickly pressed his lips together to cover it up. He might not have been completely successful if the curious look Annabeth shot them was any indication. Her grey eyes narrowed slightly as he smiled at her, but she looked away after a minute with only a slight raise of her eyebrow. She didn’t act like she knew what they were doing, but then again, it was Annabeth. She was scarily intelligent and trying to hide anything to her face usually failed. Maybe this was a bad idea. If she did know, she might let the others know, and that meant his  _ sister _ would know, and he couldn’t be caught doing these things in front of her, not to mention- 

His nostrils flared as he breathed quickly in to keep from screaming as a nail scratched lightly at the slit on the crown of his cock. A fingertip ran in teasing circles, around and around his glans, until it dropped suddenly to roll his balls in pulsating squeezes. Nico’s breath was coming heavier now, his chest moving up and down rapidly and his throat straining against the tender weight of Percy’s palm. His Adam's apple dipped as he swallowed convulsively. The movement caught Percy’s attention and he traced his hand up to Nico’s jaw to force his chin up, leaning closer until their lips were brushing against each other and he could see the dilation of Nico’s pupils. 

Whispering, Percy’s warm breath washed over Nico’s trembling lips. “Go to the bathroom. I’ll follow you.” A hard kiss was pressed to his mouth and he could feel Percy’s fingers deftly re-doing the button on his jeans. 

He shakily stood on wobbly legs and hesitated before leaving the room. “I, um, I’m going to the bathroom!” Oh,  _ dios _ , he was an  _ idiot _ . No one paid much attention to him except for Leo, who gave him a weird look, and Annabeth, who cut her suspicious eyes to him at the remark. He shot a closed lip smile at her before turning on his heel to glare at Percy, who was holding a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing. 

Nico holds his head a little higher and stalks away, but not before sticking his tongue out at Percy. He was almost to the bathroom, which was thankfully all the way across the room and around a corner, when he heard Percy say, louder than necessary, that he was getting a drink. 

Ducking into the bathroom and closing the door behind him, Nico contemplated locking Percy out or not to teach him a lesson. The only problem is that he wouldn't learn anything. And that he would probably get back at him later for it; although, that might not be much of a problem. But Nico left the door how it was and backed up until he felt his back hit the counter of the sink. 

It wasn't an overly big bathroom like Nico was expecting for such a huge house, but it wasn't small by any means. The sink was immediately across from the door about 5 feet ahead, and off to the right was a fairly large bath tub tucked into one corner with a shower head over it. The left side had a wooden door that was left open where the toilet sat along with shelves filled with various bathroom necessities. The walls were a nice tan color that blended nicely into the tiles of the floor and those around the tub. 

Nico was idly running his hand over the smooth surface by the sink when the door opened and Percy came in, locking it behind him and sending Nico a predatory smirk. He gulped as the other stalked towards him and then all the air was shot out of his lungs when Percy lifted him abruptly to sit on the counter and attached himself to his neck. 

Arms wrapping tightly around the other’s shoulders, Nico turned his head to the side and let himself get lost in the sharp nips and soothing swipes of Percy’s tongue moving down the column of his throat. 

He let out a loud moan when teeth dug almost viciously into juncture of his shoulder, not quite enough pressure to draw blood but more than enough for him to leave the impressions of Percy’s canines when he pulled away to lick at it. 

“Nico…” Percy was gripping his waist tightly and staring at his lips as if he was starving for them. 

Twining his fingers through the hair near the nape of his neck, Nico pulled his head down and wasted no time in shoving his tongue as far as he could down his throat. Lights were exploding behind his eyelids, a familiar sensation that came every time they were tied together like this, tongues running over the roof of each other’s mouths and lips becoming wet with saliva. When Percy’s tongue next invaded Nico’s mouth, he wrapped his own around it and sucked. 

Hips stuttered into his own as Percy murmured softly against his lips. “Come on, baby, we don't have a lot time.”

Even though Nico knew he was only talking about that moment since their friends would be growing suspicious, it still twisted his heart. Percy was right. They didn't have a lot of time. Nico would be leaving in 3 weeks. Sure, that sounded like a lot of time, metaphorically at least. But he also knew it wouldn't feel like it. No amount of time would feel like enough time before he had to leave. 

He couldn't afford to think about that now, though. Not when he had Percy finally responding to his touches again, and especially not when they were busying pulling each other’s pants down their hips. 

When they were both free of their boxers, Nico having had to raise his ass slightly for Percy to pull them down far enough, they reconnecting their lips. Percy wrapped one large hand around both of their lengths and started to tug forcefully, pressing them close together and moaning quietly into Nico’s mouth. 

Nico wrapped his legs around Percy’s waist and just let himself  _ feel _ . He let go of his worry and fear over what they were going to have to face. The possibilities of what could happen between them and where they would end up were endless. There was no way for either of them to know the outcome. They could either dread the day when they would have to be apart and have it taint their remaining time together, or they could live their best life now and enjoy every moment they had left and deal with the future when it came. He’s tired of being afraid. 

Nico was already so close, but Percy broke their kiss too early and started to slow down his hand. He looked like he was about to talk, but Nico whined and grabbed a hold of either side of Percy’s face and brought them close together again. Between kisses Nico groaned at him “Don't stop...now...okay?” He almost thought Percy was going to argue with him, but his eyes finally closed again when Nico nibbled on the side of his bottom lip, thankfully speeding his hand up as well. 

It was only a few moments later when Nico let go completely, ankles pressing into the back of Percy’s thighs and teeth pulling sharply on the lip he was just sucking into his mouth. The tension coalesced quickly and soon he was left to fall limply forward into Percy’s chest. He was dimly aware of Percy reaching his own end, of the small grunt near his ear and the slow to retreat hand leaving their cocks. 

He kept his eyes closed as he let Percy tuck them away and clean them up. When he was wrapped up in strong arms once again he forced himself to respond. His eyes opened and his arms raised lethargically to circle around Percy’s waist. He wasn't ready to move and it didn't look like Percy was going to make him just yet. 

They rested against each other for several moments before Nico pushed off the counter to stand on his own. “Well, are you ready to go back? Finish the movie? Be made fun of by our so-called friends?”

The warm laugh he received in answer made his smile come back full force. “Come on, it won't be that bad.” He watched Percy walk to the door and pause to look over his shoulder. “And who knows? Maybe we won't be caught.” He left with a wink. 

Nico wanted to be annoyed, but even that was a lie. He wasn't annoyed with Percy for his childish antics. He was in love. He was in love and maybe that was okay for once. 

He took a deep breath and followed him out. Turning the corner, he saw Percy fall to lay on the couch. He paused when he heard Annabeth asked him in a lazy drawl where his drink was. He couldn't heard Percy’s response, so he took a couple steps closer. 

“Oh, really? The fridge is right over there.” A slim finger pointed across the room to the mini fridges against the wall. “It took you 10 minutes to find the fridge that has been in the same place the entire time you've known Jason?”

“I also used that time to drink it. And throw it away. So. Boom” 

Nico groaned and slapped his hands to cover his face. That was him. Percy Jackson. The boy Nico was in love with. 

**Author's Note:**

> As a reminder, the dates I am using are from the 2014 calendar, moving into the 2015 one. 
> 
> Check me out on Tumblr! [joslushie](http://www.joslushie.tumblr.com)


End file.
